Articular cartilage: What it is, why it fails in osteoarthritis, and what can be done about it

Abstract

Articular cartilage covers the ends of long bones and together with synovial fluid is responsible for the remarkably efficient mechanical properties of synovial joints. In osteoarthritis (OA) joint articular cartilage fails. While the etiology of cartilage failure in OA is still controversial, some of the mechanisms responsible for loss of proteoglycans from these tissues have been identified and offer insights for potential avenues of therapeutic control. Many non‐steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), although effective at suppressing the symptoms of OA, do little to support the attempts by chondrocytes to replenish proteoglycan loss from the extracellular matrix. However, evidence is now accumulating, largely from studies using animal models, that not all antiarthritic agents are deleterious to cartilage. Some may even promote those anabolic processes necessary for its repair and restoration of function. These recent developments offer a more optimistic approach for the therapeutic management of the osteoarthritic patient in the future.

Exercise in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip

“…The third joint-protection consideration related to exercise and activity concerns range-of-motion and weight-bearing activities. Cartilage is avascular and aneural, requiring regular motion with compression and decompression for adequate nutrition and stimulation of remodeling and repair [3,34,35]. It has been shown repeatedly that immobilization and non-weightbearing result in cartilage changes similar to those found in OA.…”

Efeitos da craniopuntura de Yamamoto na osteoartrite de joelho: estudo de caso

“…Segundo Ghosh 22 , os medicamentos comumente utilizados para o alívio da dor e da inflamação de pacientes com OA, podem similarmente inibir os mecanismos de reparação da cartilagem.…”