I am a 25-year-old competitive kick boxer. Six months ago I tore my medial meniscus and some of the cartilage under it. I have been strengthening and getting ready for surgery but am trying to figure out what surgery will be best for me. I want to be able to get back to my previous level without having to worry about having arthritic knees when I’m 40.

It sounds as though you have a deep cartilage tear along with your medial meniscus tear. Based on a recent review of surgical options for someone like you (a high end athlete, young, and a big chondral tear), you might look into getting an osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA). This involves taking a size-matched piece of cartilage from a cadaver and transplanting it into your damaged knee. Rehabilitation takes about one year before you’ll be at 100% however long term studies show that it will be worth the work.