Info on microfracture surgery:
The surgeon makes a tiny, quarter-inch incision on the affected knee and inserts a long thin scope (arthroscope). This scope allows the surgeon to work directly on the joint area. First, any calcified cartilage is removed. Then, the surgeon uses an ice pick-like tool called an awl to punch very small holes (“microfractures”
in the bone near the defective cartilage. Blood and bone marrow (which contains stem cells) seep out of the holes, creating a blood clot that releases cartilage-building cells. The fractures are treated as an injury by the body, which is why it results in new, replacement cartilage.[6]
Microfracture surgery can help a patient prevent a partial or total knee replacement. It is also used to treat pain in the knee from cartilage injuries, as well as early arthritis of the knee, lesions on the kneecap, degenerative chondral lesions of the knee, and traumatic injuries to the cartilage. It does have limitations, and is less effective in treating older patients, overweight patients, or cartilage damage that is larger than 2.5 cm.[6]