People with previous surgical interventions face more chances of articular cartilage damage due to altered mechanics of the joint.
Articular cartilage damage may also be found in the shoulder causing pain, discomfort and limited movement.
Such damage can result from a variety of causes, such as a bad fall or traumatic sport-accident, previous knee injuries or wear and tear over time.
As cartilage is aneural and avascular (lack of nerve and blood supply, respectively), shallow damage often does not trigger pain.
[2] Wang et al. (2006) found that small articular cartilage defects can progress to osteoarthritis over time if left untreated.
You are likely to have some muscle wasting and difficulty in activities such as going up and down stairs, walking or running but then people with any moderate knee injury are likely to as well.
[2] In contrast to popular perception, pain is not a good indicator for determining the extent of articular cartilage damage.
These regenerative procedures are believed to delay osteoarthritis of injuries on the articular cartilage of the knee, by slowing down the degeneration of the joint compared to untreated damage.