Yes, sometimes when a cartilage is torn, it is removed - this is called a meniscectomy (removal of the meniscus, which is another name for cartilage). A meniscal repair or ligament repair is just that - the surgeon repairs the damaged ligament or he or she can do a ligament reconstruction.

While both the cartilage and tendon are soft tissues in the knees, they play different roles. The tendons are the very strong, fibrous tissues that attach muscles to bone. They are what allow you to move you knee back and forth - and have it stop where it should. They also help your knee maintain its stability. The cartilage joins two bones together, acting almost like a tether.

Clearing out dead and infected tissue from a joint is called debriding it. It's a job that must be done meticulously to ensure that no dead or infected tissue is left behind at all.

Infections can happen any time to anyone. Unfortunately, infections in joint replacements can be hard to treat for a variety of reasons. First, it isn't always easy to tell what type of bacteria is causing the infection. This means that it can be difficult to choose the best type of antibiotic.

Total knee replacements (TKAs) that become infected can be very difficult to treat effectively. Despite a high cost for the treatment, the outcome may not always be ideal, leaving patients with pain and decreased mobility.

As with most complications, prevention is the best medicine. This involves identifying patients who may be at higher risk of developing infections following TKAs. That being said, the appropriate treatments must be identified once infection has set in.

Athletes are known to be at high risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee due to increased weightbearing activities and high impact "loading." These injuries first present as articular cartilage defects of the knee, mostly lesions found on the femur, or thigh bone.

A Patient's Guide to Pes Anserine (Goosefoot) Bursitis

Introduction

Your situation is common for many people with arthritis. Pain limits motion, which limits function. The less you move, the more it hurts. The more it hurts, the less you want to move. It can create a vicious cycle.

But it's also true that motion is lotion. And strengthening the muscles around the knee improves general joint stability. The more stable the knee, the more functional it will be.

A physician will be able to diagnose your problem. Using a series of questions, X-rays, and clinical tests, the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) is fairly straightforward.

Finding out the cause of painful snapping along the lateral (outside edge) of the knee can be very challenging. It's actually a fairly common problem with many possible causes.

No matter what the cause, conservative (nonoperative) care is still always recommended first. So even if they were able to identify the problem, you would have still been advised to try physical therapy first. Most of the time, the symptoms resolve and surgery isn't needed.