Stem Cell Therapy for Cartilage Repair: A Promising Frontier
Cartilage has a frustrating way of reminding people that it does not heal like other tissues. A strained muscle may recover in weeks. A small skin wound often closes quickly. Cartilage, especially the smooth articular cartilage that coats the ends of bones in the knee, hip, ankle, and shoulder, behaves differently. Once damaged, it has little blood supply, few resident cells, and a limited capacity for repair. Patients feel that limitation in very practical terms: pain