[refinnej10]

This is what a doctor told my brother, as relayed to me through his wife:<br><br>
He has a cartilage bruise. The doctor said the knee will never recover completely and he'll probably need surgury when he's older.<br><br>
1. What is a cartilage bruise?<br>
2. Why wouldn't the knee recover completely?<br>
3. Why will he need surgury later if the cartilage isn't torn?<br><br>
He went to the doctor with pain and snap, crackle, popping of the knee. They did an MRI.

 

[RichMac]

because the cartilage tissue will have scaring..<br>
good news- injectable gel is in development to heal and grow new cartilage

 

[refinnej10]

You can get a scar on cartilage from bruising?

 

[RichMac]

you ever see a cauliflower ear..

 

[refinnej10]

yeah. Although I've never seen them after they've been healed.<br><br>
My understanding is that the "cauliflower" aspect is swelling/fluid accumulation in the space between the cartilage and the skin. I'm not sure where the swelling comes from. Does the cartilage in the ear have a blood supply? I know the knee cartilage has blood supply (in some areas)...

 

[OakDawg]

Cauliflower ear doesn't heal on its own. You have to drain it early on before it gets hard or have surgery later on.

 

[liath]

I bruised the cartledge in my left knee. Then I ran a marathon on it.<br><br>
It's true it has never fully healed although I've done several more stupid things on it since. I doubt I'll need surgery on it although I'm no doctor. Feels fine (most of the time) to me.<br><br>
Tell him to rest it, the less it's aggravated the better (you wonder why I'm so better behaved with this injury?) It took mine about 9-12 months to heel. It could have been half that if I'd rested it properly in the first place!

 

[KP]

The doctor probably meant the articular cartilage that lines the end of the bone not the meniscus. Yes you can bruise that part of the bone and cartilage and it will heal...slowly and not be as strong/resiliant afterwards. This would predispose the person to some form of arthritis/joint surface changes down the road.<br><br>
If you do surgery for that type of "snap/crack/pop" to clean up the articular cartilage it often comes back later.