This surgery repairs damaged cartilage in your knee. Cartilage is the hard, smooth tissue that covers the ends of bones in your knee. We use microfracture surgery on areas where missing cartilage exposes bare bone.
To begin, we give you medicine to make you feel relaxed and numb. You may be put to sleep. We make a few small openings in your skin. One is for a video device called an "arthroscope." It lets us see the inside of your knee on a video monitor. The other openings are for surgical instruments. We examine the damage inside your knee, and remove any loose or damaged cartilage in the joint.
Now it's time to create the microfractures. We do this with an awl. It has a sharp, pointy tip. We use the tip to create several small holes in the bone. This triggers your body's healing response. It will encourage new cartilage to grow to cover the bare spot.
When we're done, we close the openings in your skin and bandage your knee. You're watched in a recovery room until it's time for you to go home. Follow your care plan for a safe recovery.