Injured cartilage typically does not heal on its own, so doctors have developed several surgical techniques that attempt to repair, regenerate, and replace cartilage.

These surgeries can be performed on almost any joint, but they are most commonly performed on knees. They are generally appropriate for people who have specific cartilage injuries rather than widespread cartilage damage, like that found in moderate to severe knee arthritis.

A surgeon can use special tools to remove frayed and tattered cartilage and smooth the remaining cartilage surface. This contouring of cartilage reduces joint friction, which in turn can:

• Reduce knee pain
• Restore knee function
• Potentially slow down future cartilage degeneration

Cartilage is a connective tissue found in many parts of the body. Although it is a tough and flexible material, it is relatively easy to damage.

This fine, rubbery tissue acts as a cushion between the bones of joints. People with cartilage damage commonly experience joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation (swelling).

Patients with damage to the cartilage in a joint (articular cartilage damage) will experience:

• Inflammation – the area swells, becomes warmer than other parts of the body, and is tender, sore, and painful.
• Stiffness.
• Range limitation – as the damage progresses, the affected limb will not move so freely and easily.

When the cartilage is damaged, it does not repair itself effectively like other tissues. Consequently, injury can lead to increasing joint pain and reduction in joint movement and can also lead to degenerative change or osteoarthritis (slow degeneration of articular cartilage).

In certain situations, a treatment in which your own cells are implanted to repair articular cartilage damage can be performed. This procedure is known generically as a cartilage patch, or more specifically as Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, or ACI. Autologous means that the implanted cells come from you, and the term chondrocyte is the name for the type of cartilage cells that repair the damaged area, known as a lesion.

An Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury (OASIs) refers to third and fourth degree perineal tears and are more serious. These tears extend from the perineum to the anus or rectum and include the muscles that control the opening and closing of the anus.

Women who suffer from OASIs complain of faecal urgency or faecal and flatal incontinence. Some may also experience perineal pain and/or dyspareunia (pain on intercourse). All OASIs require surgical repair by an experienced surgeon, in an operating theatre under good lighting and regional or general anaesthesia.

BMAC is a concentrate of regenerative stem cells obtained from your own bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue that is found in the center of bones, including your hip or pelvic bone. Bone marrow is the section of the body where blood is generated. The stem cells from BMAC are specialized cells that are known to replicate themselves into various types of tissues and help to speed up the healing process by boosting the body’s natural healing abilities and promote tissue growth.

Some of the indications for BMAC include:

• Osteoarthritis of the joints
• Improve wound healing
• Osteonecrosis (bone death)
• Improve tendon healing
• Treat fractures of the bones
• Delay progression of the disease, such as arthritis
• Treat cartilage injuries

GOLDIC ^® is an advanced regeneration technology that uses the patient’s autologous blood in combination with specially designed gold particles. During the in-vitro blood incubation process, the gold acts as the catalyst for blood cells to produce vital cytokines which trigger strong anti-inflammatory and regenerative processes.

GOLDIC ^® treatment restores and preserves the natural function of the body and eliminates pain associated with ailments.