Cartilage damage is the most common cause of knee pain and disability. Some estimates indicate over 2 million Americans suffer knee cartilage problems every year. Sometimes the damage results from a single trauma. Often the damage results from a slow, progressive degeneration without a single known cause. Cartilage damage can lead to pain, swelling, and loss of knee and body function that limit an active lifestyle.

Joint pain is not “just part of the aging process”. Joint pain represents your body’s warning light, much like the warning light in your car. Many times the problem is small, and responds quickly to an exercise program. Sometimes a more involved problem will require surgery.

We developed The Bryn Mawr Cartilage Restoration Center to provide a full range of the most advanced treatment options for knee cartilage problems. We offer the latest, least invasive procedures adapted for arthroscopic surgery, surgery that uses smaller incisions and miniature cameras to observe the knee. We perform some techniques under a local anesthetic as a same-day outpatient. Other techniques might require little more than an overnight stay or brief hospitalization. Sometimes these procedures not only resolve your pain and restore your knee function, but also halt the progression to arthritis.