Once cartilage is gone, it's gone. Take a google of micro fracture surgery though. How old, how bad and how long would be a good start for an internet diagnosis. For instance, the management may well be different if you are into your 70's as opposed to 30's.

And it is gone, ones running days are gone also, are will be once a person is forced to get a replacement knee or hip.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I had microfracture surgery and my knee was worse afterwards. Doc said it worked better on couch potatoes but it was the only knee surgery that my stupid insurance would pay for so we gave it a try. He said I would never run again when I came out of surgery. After that, and all the recovery, I was in worse shape than I started and he sent me to Andrews Sports Medicine for a high tibial osteotomy and a plug of donor cartilage on my femur. That did the trick and I am back competing again.

I can't pirouette or triple jump anymore but those are activities I can live without.

In short, OP'er, make sure you consult with a VERY good orthopedist, not just the local one. Andrews is one of the finest in the world, and specifically my surgeon was Jeff Dugas. Good luck. You don't have to hang up the sneakers but you're in for a long recovery period.

Cheers,

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thechromedome
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A knee replacement does not signal the end of your running days. I had a friend who had bone on bone. He got a "partial" or "triathlon" knee replacement done. Since then, he has done everything from 1/2 marathons to ultramarathons. I saw him run before the surgery and he looked awful. Now that he has had the surgery, his running form is so much better

Yep, some do, but for how long and what will they look like in the future?

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Start taking collagen. I use Great Lakes powder, you can find it on Amazon, it tastes terrible unless mixed into a fruit smoothy but its working for me. As you age your body stops producing it, by the time you're 30 its basically gone from your body and its an important building block in our bodies. I started about 6 months ago and there is a difference in my knees which have been poor for the last 10 years. Unlike others in this thread, I also had micro fracture surgery on my femur and am better because of it. At the same time I had donor cartilage put in my knee as well. The recovery took forever as my muscles completely atrophied in that leg but I'm better off today because I had it done.

I have 2x 1cm holes in my right patella cartilage. Had micro crack surgery 2x in past 16yrs. The thing that has helped me the most is a product called Synflex. I've tried lots of other supplements, but near as I can figure, only Synflex has really helped. It's almost as if the other cartilage supplements aren't very "bio available". At first, I was dubious that Synflex was better than other, cheaper, cartilage related supplements, but after 15yrs of playing around with "knee pills" Synflex keeps proving itself as seemingly the only useful cartilage supplement.

I'm going to try that collagen supplements idea.

I'm very pleased to hear that the one guy in this thread had a good result with moving cartilage from one part of the body to the other.

Stating the obvious, the body's ability to heal and replace cartilage is pretty limited. But the body's cells replace themselves regularly so even tho cartilage doesn't really "heal", in the classic sense, I think that if a person works the supplement angle hard, a lot of good can be done.

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I add collagen to my coffee everyday... been doing if for so long can't remember if I feel better with or without it.

Nearly 15 years ago, I was told that I had no more meniscus in my right knee. This came after tearing the cartilage twice in the late 70s as the result of basketball. After the second torn cartilage, I stopped all sports that required quick lateral movements including tennis and even pickup softball games. I ran, biked and swam for many years between the early 80s and now. I visited an excellent orthopede in San Diego in 2012 who told me that I was headed for a knee replacement if I kept up my running regimen. I hate hospitals and surgeries, so, I only occasionally run now, but still swim A LOT and bike quite a bit when I can get out. After the diagnosis which told me I had no more meniscus, I have done two things, first I take glucosamine sulfate (1500mg) every day and second, I have had SynVisc injections a few times. The SynVisc is pretty easy and allows me to go for another 1000 miles of running before I need another injection. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks for all the answers! Seems like mi tri days are over.....I am a Chef 49 y/o, (10hours a day standing) and I can t afford surgeries and months of rehab.
I am doing the Glucosamine and collagen and now trying a Wobenzym N .
I can t swallow the idea of not competing anymore; I gonna miss that shit!!
I guess OW will be my next thing:at least I love swimming!!
All the best,
AC