A Guide to Understanding What the Joint Cartilage Is and Its Importance
Every moving part of the body has a connective tissue that provides cushion between the bone and joint. It can therefore be deduced that the connective tissue is going to help you avoid a stiff that because a painful sensation because it prevents the joint from being touched by the moving bones. The human body consists of three types of cartilages that include the fibrocartilage, elastic cartilage and the Hyaline cartilage. Arthritis may come about if the joint cartilage is not present and this shows its importance in the body. The official name of the joint cartilage is the articular cartilage because it covers the whole surface where the joint meets with the articular bone. The articular cartilage is simply the cartilage that you’re going to find on the knee joint, that protects the joint from any possible friction between the tibia and femur.
The cartilage is mainly made of type II collagen and chondroitin sulfate. The cartilage also contains a synovial fluid that is responsible for making the movements smoother. Because of the location of the articular cartilage, it is therefore thicker than many other cartilages in the body.
You should bear in mind that one of the most important functions of the articular cartilage is to allow for movements between the bones and the joint. You should also take note of the fact that the joint cartilage will not get healed when it gets damaged because of a disorder or wear and tear. Because there is no supply of nutrients to the articular cartilage, this means that it will neither regenerate or regrow when damaged.
When the articular cartilage gets damaged, it can be rectified by way of having a surgical procedure undertaken. The restoration procedures may vary and the extent of damage can be detected through x-rays. However, not everyone will do well with the surgical restoration of the articular cartilage because it is a delicate procedure. Abrasion arthroplasty, autologous chondrocyte implantation, drilling and microfracture some of the widely used cartilage restoration procedures. In case you go through any of above cartilage restoration procedures, it is important for the patient to protect the area that was operated to ensure that the cartilage is going to heal well. After the cartilage restoration procedure, it is important to go through rehabilitation which will offer you physical therapy to resume your normal life. Ensure that you click here to learn more about the joint cartilage.