How can we fix damaged cartilage in joints?
Regeneration of articular cartilage defects: Therapeutic strategies and perspectives
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Cartilage in joints doesn't heal well because it has no blood supply and few cells. Doctors try different treatments, from medicine to surgery, but they often only help with pain. Scientists are now trying to grow new cartilage using special materials and stem cells, and even control genes with tiny RNA molecules.
Surprising Findings
NSAIDs may have no meaningful pain relief for knee osteoarthritis compared to placebo.
NSAIDs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs for joint pain, yet this review cites clinical evidence showing their effect is statistically indistinguishable from placebo.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t rely on NSAIDs or HA injections for long-term joint health — they likely won’t regenerate cartilage or stop disease progression.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Cartilage in joints doesn't heal well because it has no blood supply and few cells. Doctors try different treatments, from medicine to surgery, but they often only help with pain. Scientists are now trying to grow new cartilage using special materials and stem cells, and even control genes with tiny RNA molecules.
Surprising Findings
NSAIDs may have no meaningful pain relief for knee osteoarthritis compared to placebo.
NSAIDs are among the most commonly prescribed drugs for joint pain, yet this review cites clinical evidence showing their effect is statistically indistinguishable from placebo.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t rely on NSAIDs or HA injections for long-term joint health — they likely won’t regenerate cartilage or stop disease progression.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Tissue Engineering
Year
2023
Authors
Xueqiang Guo, Lingling Xi, Mengyuan Yu, Zhenlin Fan, Weiyun Wang, A. Ju, Zhuo Liang, Guangdong Zhou, Wenjie Ren
Related Content
Claims (3)
Your joint cartilage doesn't heal well on its own because it has no blood supply and very few repair cells, making injuries and conditions like arthritis hard to fix.
Scientists are trying to fix damaged joint cartilage by building tiny scaffolds that act like the real thing, and adding cells and healing signals to help the body regrow healthy tissue.
Tiny bits of RNA that don’t make proteins might help control how cartilage cells grow and repair, which means they could be used in gene treatments to fix damaged cartilage.