I tore the cartilage in my knee while playing a pick-up game of hockey this past winter. The doctor wants to repair the damage, rather than remove the cartilage. Everything I’ve heard about this operation has been good. Is there a downside to this surgery?

Repair, rather than removing torn knee cartilage is the latest direction in the treatment of this problem. Studies show less arthritis later on. However, repaired cartilage is
still weaker than normal. The cartilage can tear again later.

Doctors aren’t really sure the repaired meniscus will function normally. At this point, researchers think a repaired meniscus is still better than none at all. More studies are needed to answer your question.