Articular cartilage is a specialized type of hyaline cartilage that covers the articular surfaces of bones in synovial joints, such as the knee, hip, and shoulder. It ensures smooth, low-friction gliding between the bones during movement, while also providing effective shock absorption and distribution of mechanical loads.
It consists mainly of chondrocytes, which are scattered within a dense extracellular matrix rich in type II collagen and proteoglycans. This structural composition gives the tissue its characteristic elasticity and resistance to compression.
Unlike most tissues of the body, articular cartilage does not have its own blood supply, lymphatic vessels, or nerve fibers. As a result, its nutrition depends exclusively on the diffusion of nutrients through synovial fluid, which significantly limits its ability to self-repair after injury.
Damage or degeneration of articular cartilage, either due to trauma or chronic degenerative processes such as osteoarthritis, leads to progressive thinning and loss of the smooth cartilage surface. This results in increased friction, pain, stiffness, and reduced joint mobility.
Treatment of articular cartilage lesions ranges from conservative measures, such as physiotherapy and intra-articular injections, to specialized surgical repair techniques, including microfracture surgery, cartilage transplantation, and, in advanced stages of degeneration, joint arthroplasty.