REVIEW  MUSCULOSKELETAL TISSUE INJURIES AND REGENERATION 

Minerva Orthopedics 2022 February;73(1):20-7

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8469.21.04174-2

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Cartilage damage: clinical approach

Giacomo FARÌ ^{1, 2} ✉, Giovanni PIGNATELLI ¹, Dario MACCHIAROLA ¹, Andrea BERNETTI ³, Francesco AGOSTINI ³, Marco FORNARO ⁴, Carlo MARICONDA ⁵, Marisa MEGNA ¹, Maurizio RANIERI ¹

¹ Department of Basic Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Bari, Italy; ² Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technologies (Di.S.Te.B.A.), University of Salento, Lecce, Italy; ³ Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Rheumatology Unit, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; ⁵ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Humanitas Gradenigo Hospital, Turin, Italy

Cartilage damage is a frequent joint affection and may have various etiologies. Degenerative and traumatic lesions are by far prevalent and are not easy to treat due to the characteristics of cartilage tissue, which has poor repair capacity. Nevertheless, clinical management for cartilage damage is based on great therapeutic possibilities that sometimes allow to avoid surgical solutions. Traditional approaches, such as exercise and physiotherapy, are added to new drugs and therapies, such as regenerative medicine, which present increasing evidence of effectiveness.

KEY WORDS: Cartilage lesion; Osteoarthritis; Regenerative medicine; Hyaluronic acid; Platelet-rich plasma