Meniscus Transplant

3D printing is one of today’s most talked-about technologies. But it still has a long way to go before it can transform orthopedic surgery.

Standardized care is not always the best care. What we really need is an agile medical system that values innovation.

How a biological device can act as a trellis for new meniscus tissue to grow into, reconstructing missing segments of the meniscus shape.

A recent study suggested that meniscus surgery doesn't help. Studies can be misleading. Even small losses of meniscus tissue lead to big changes in force concentration on the tibia (shin bone) and eventually arthritis.

Losing a meniscus is tough on the body. Without a meniscus, the covering of each of the bones, called the articular cartilage, rub up against one another, which leads to pain and, eventually arthritis. Patients often ask me "Isn't there a shock absorber you can put back into the knee joint?"

We like to do everything possible to rebuild the knee joint with biologic tissues rather than artificial materials to help delay the time in which an artificial joint replacement is necessary.