The treatment of articular cartilage injuries in athletes during the competitive season is a difficult problem to handle. However, there are several strategies that can be implemented to manage cartilage injuries until they are definitively healed.

Conservative Treatment

Initial treatment includes conservative measures aimed at reducing inflammation and relieving pain. These measures include:

• Rest and Load Limitation: Avoiding activities that stress the injured joint. The athlete can continue their participation with a reduced load or adjust their activities.
• Physiotherapy: It includes specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around the affected joint, as well as techniques to improve flexibility and stability. Physiotherapy aims to reduce the pressure on the injured cartilage and restore the functionality of the joint. Diamagnetic pump and mild percussive ultrasound with bandaging techniques are recommended.
• Alternative aerobic exercise without loads: such as cycling or swimming.

Orthobiological Treatments

Orthobiological therapies have revolutionized the repair of cartilage injuries and are widely used in athletes to accelerate healing during the competitive season.

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP): The infusion of platelet-rich plasma helps to regenerate the cartilage and reduce pain. PRP can improve cartilage healing through the growth factors it contains. It can be combined with hyaluronic acid.
• Autologous chondrocyte therapy. With local anesthesia through 3 very small holes on the back of the ear, we take micrografts of cartilage which we liquefy with a special technique and then inject into the affected joint or tendon with excellent results, especially in patellar chondropathy.
• Stem Cell Therapy. Stem cells are used, mainly from bone marrow from the patient’s ilium or adipose tissue, which are injected into the injured joint to prevent further damage and partially promote cartilage regeneration, counter inflammation and contribute to homeostasis of the joint.
• Minimally invasive surgical treatment.

In cases where conservative and orthobiological treatment do not work or the injury is more severe, surgery may be required. During the competition season, surgical procedures such as:

• Arthroscopy: It is used to repair small cartilaginous lesions and to clean the joint from cartilage fragments. This operation is less invasive. It is called chondroplasty and is applied so that the player does not miss the whole year. If the cartilage damage requires further treatment with months of restoration, autologous chondrocyte transplantation is performed with cartilage fragments, minced cartilage and orthobiological treatments, the osteochondral autotransplantation

Sports Activity Adaptation

One of the keys to successfully dealing with cartilage conditions during the competition season is to adapt the sporting activity. This includes:

• Modification of Training Program: Coaches should adjust the training program to reduce stress on the injured joint. Athletes can focus on strengthening and flexibility exercises that do not stress the injured cartilage.
• Preventive Physiotherapy: Regular physical therapy during your period can help prevent further injury and repair the damage.

Conclusion

The effective treatment of cartilage diseases in athletes during the competitive season requires a combination of conservative, orthobiological and, if necessary, surgical approaches.