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Cartilage cells from your own body have been implanted into your knee joint.

The knee joint connects the thigh to the lower leg. The knee joint is made up of 3 bones. These bones are the thighbone (femur), the shinbone (tibia) and the kneecap. The kneecap sits in a groove at the front of the thighbone.

The bones in a joint are covered with cartilage. When the joint is moved, the cartilage prevents the bones from rubbing against one another. The cartilage is normally strong and elastic, with a smooth surface.

To replace diseased cartilage, a healthy piece of cartilage is taken from the patient’s own body. From this healthy piece of cartilage, new cartilage cells are then cultivated outside the body. The newly cultivated cartilage cells are then implanted into the damaged knee joint cartilage. This can be done via an arthroscopy. In this way, the new cartilage cells can be made into a replacement for the damaged cartilage.

An arthroscopy first involves making a small incision in the skin. A camera was pushed through this incision. This camera sends images of the inside of the joint to a screen. Instruments such as forceps and scissors can be inserted into the joint through other small incisions.

Cartilage from one’s own body may need to be implanted if, for example, the cartilage in the knee joint has worn away or been damaged in an accident.