Causes of knee pain

When you live with knee pain, a simple activity like climbing stairs or riding a bike can be painful—but, in fact, you do not need to spend each day in pain. Use the brief descriptions below to help identify the possible cause of your pain, then ask your doctor about your specific knee condition and your treatment options.

Bursitis, Tendonitis, or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Overuse injuries, caused by repetitive activities such as stair climbing, jogging, or other stresses on the joints, lead to irritation and inflammation.

Sprains

The ligaments that connect bone to bone may be stretched—or they may be partially or completely torn.

Osteoarthritis

In knees with osteoarthritis (OA), the cartilage protecting the ends of the bones gradually deteriorates, and the joint fluid—called synovial fluid—loses its shock-absorbing qualities. Bones may begin to rub against each other, causing pain, stiffness and loss of movement in the joint. By contrast, a healthy knee’s cartilage and lubricating joint fluid protect and cushion the bones, making moving and bending easy. Learn more about osteoarthritis and treatments available at www.synvisc.com.

Articular Cartilage Damage

Articular cartilage injuries may occur during sports or work activities, through a traumatic incident involving the knee, or just through daily wear and tear. Being knock-kneed or bow-legged, or having another injury such as a meniscus tear or a ligament tear can also cause or worsen articular cartilage injuries Small cartilage injuries may become larger, and, if left untreated, lead to more serious problems such as osteoarthritis.

Meniscal Cartilage Damage

Similar to articular cartilage damage, meniscus damage can occur during activities of daily living without specific trauma, or from a trauma that occurs in sport or the work place. Once there is injury to the meniscal cartilage, the body’s response is often pain and swelling. The meniscal tear causes the body’s weight to be distributed unevenly. As a result of increased stress over time, articular cartilage may break down as well, which can lead to degenerative arthritis.

 

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While other procedures may help relieve pain, CARTICEL is the only procedure that uses your own cultured cells to repair your damaged articular cartilage. Read about your treatment options.

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Important Safety Information

CARTICEL is for autologous use and is indicated for the repair of symptomatic, cartilage defects of the femoral condyle (medial, lateral or trochlea), caused by acute or repetitive trauma, in patients who have had an inadequate response to a prior arthroscopic or other surgical repair procedure (e.g., debridement, microfracture, drilling/abrasion arthroplasty, or osteochondral allograft/autograft). CARTICEL should only be used in conjunction with debridement, placement of a periosteal flap and rehabilitation. The independent contributions of the autologous cultured chondrocytes and other components of the therapy to outcome are unknown. It is not indicated for the treatment of cartilage damage associated with generalized osteoarthritis. It is not recommended for patients whose knee meniscus has been surgically removed unless the patient has undergone surgical reconstruction prior to or concurrent with CARTICEL implantation.

Pre-existing conditions including meniscal tears, joint instability or malalignment of the joint should be corrected prior to or concurrent with CARTICEL implantation. It should not be used in patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to gentamicin, other aminoglycosides or materials of bovine origin. CARTICEL is not routinely tested for transmissible infectious diseases and may transmit disease to the healthcare provider handling CARTICEL. In addition, it should not be used in patients who have previously had cancer in the bones, cartilage, fat or muscle of the treated limb. Use in children, patients over age 65, or in joints other than the knee has not yet been assessed.

The occurrence of subsequent surgical procedures (SSPs), primarily arthroscopy, following CARTICEL implantation is common. In the Study of the Treatment of Articular Repair (STAR), forty-nine percent (49%) of patients underwent an SSP on the treated knee, irrespective of their relationship to CARTICEL, during the 4-year follow up. The most common serious adverse events (≥5% of patients), derived from STAR, include arthrofibrosis/joint adhesions, graft overgrowth, chondromalacia or chondrosis, cartilage injury, graft complication, meniscal lesion, graft delamination, and osteoarthritis.

For more information on CARTICEL, please see the Package Insert (PDF).