Knee Resurfacing

Knee resurfacing is an operative procedure that addresses localized cartilage (joint surface lining) defects in the knee joint and improves pain and function.

What is a femoral condyle cartilage defect?

The knee joint consists of three bones; the femur; the tibia, and the patella or kneecap. The ends of the femur and tibia glide against each other as you move.

Cartilage is the slippery shock absorbing material that covers the ends of bones to allow pain-free movement. A femoral condyle cartilage defect disrupts this surface which can lead to pain and loss of movement. If these defects are not treated they typically grow in size and depth until the pain is unmanageable.

Most of these defects are routinely treated by a technique called micro-fracture (drilling small holes in the bone) to promote some healing and eventually sealing off the defect with a layer of fibrocartilage.

Generally, in people aged between 35-65, sometimes these defects are quite large and the results with the microfracture technique are not very predictable or successful and in other people sometimes the micro-fracture treated areas fail and in both these situations using an implant to address the localized cartilage defect helps with pain and function.