Cartilage wear, a common symptom and cause of deterioration for many joint diseases, leads to joint conditions that severely damage the physical health of patients. It is so harmful that it has been defined by the World Health Organization as the "number one disease causing disability." Cartilage wear not only occurs in common osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) but also frequently appears in lumbar disc herniation, rheumatoid arthritis, meniscus injury, avascular necrosis of the femoral head, hip arthritis, and lower back pain. The specific manifestations include uneven joint surfaces, narrowed joint spaces, bone proliferation (bone spurs), joint swelling and deformation, loss of motor function, etc.
We know that articular cartilage plays a crucial role in balancing forces, alleviating shocks, and lubricating joints in the human body. Once the cartilage wears down and degenerates, the joints inevitably lose flexibility, become fragile and prone to damage, affecting motor function and exacerbating the worsening of the condition. Therefore, the most fundamental and urgent method for addressing cartilage wear is to regenerate the cartilage!
Currently, the medical field commonly uses several methods to address cartilage wear and degeneration:
【Various Painkillers, Plasters】
Through the chemical action of drugs, these methods suppress joint inflammation and temporarily relieve pain. This approach provides relatively fast analgesic effects and is suitable for acute episodes. However, they do not solve the internal structure of the joints, leading to recurring conditions. Moreover, patients often find that long-term use gradually weakens the drug's effectiveness, especially in the later stages of the disease when the drug's effect is more pronounced. Hormonal drugs, in particular, have stronger side effects, leading to various gastrointestinal, liver, kidney, and cardiovascular complications.
【Physical Therapy】
This involves using physical methods such as heating, massaging, and stimulating the affected area to promote blood circulation, reduce pain, and alleviate symptoms, such as common heat therapy, electrotherapy, traction, magnetotherapy, ultrasound, infrared therapy, etc. These methods can avoid medication and injections, providing temporary relief after treatment. However, the internal structure of the joints remains unchanged, and stopping physical therapy can lead to recurring conditions. Additionally, improper treatment may delay or even exacerbate the condition.
【Glucosamine】
This promotes the secretion of lubricating fluid within the joint cavity, reducing cartilage friction and having anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. For early-stage diseases where the joint cartilage is undamaged, this method is effective. However, for cartilage that has already hardened, worn down, become uneven, or deformed, this method proves ineffective.
【Sodium Hyaluronate Injection】
This involves injecting lubricating fluid into the joint to increase its lubricity and flexibility, thereby reducing pain. However, it does not improve the internal structure of the joint cartilage. Once the injected fluid is consumed, further injections are required, potentially leading to dependency. Additionally, it may reduce the body's natural ability to secrete joint fluid, with diminishing effects over time.
【Arthroscopic Surgery】
This involves inserting an arthroscope and surgical tools through small incisions into the joint. The procedure may involve cleaning the joint cavity, smoothing rough cartilage surfaces, or removing part of the cartilage. While this can relieve pain in the short term, it ultimately damages and weakens the body's inherent joint cartilage, affecting long-term motor function.
【Joint Replacement】
This involves replacing the body's natural joints with artificial ones, which is a last-resort option. It can significantly reduce joint discomfort and generally maintain basic motor function for about ten years. However, the surgery carries significant risks, and the fixation and meshing may not be satisfactory. Post-surgery joint function is limited, easily dislocating or getting injured, and does not completely eliminate pain. For elderly individuals, the surgical process places a heavy burden on the body. Artificial joints typically last 10-15 years before needing replacement. Furthermore, they are expensive and not easily accepted by the general public.
From the above comparison, we can clearly see that these common approaches to addressing cartilage wear and degeneration do not achieve cartilage regeneration. Some methods even further damage the cartilage in exchange for temporary peace.
Since the late 20th century, international research on cartilage regeneration has generally followed several pathways: autologous transplantation, allogeneic transplantation, xenotransplantation, and ingesting special cartilage to promote autologous cartilage regeneration.
【Xenotransplantation】
This involves transplanting cartilage from other species into human joint cartilage. However, due to strong immune rejection issues, this research is still in the basic experimental stage.
【Autologous Cartilage Transplantation】
This method mainly involves transplanting cartilage from other parts of the body or cultivating cartilage using autologous white blood cells or stem cells, eliminating the need for surgery. However, the source of autologous cartilage is limited, causing secondary trauma and increasing patient pain, which restricts its application due to immature technology.
【Allogeneic Cartilage Transplantation】
Allogeneic cartilage transplantation has wide sources and good biological performance, making it a potentially ideal cartilage graft. It has achieved certain clinical results, but it still faces issues such as immune rejection, disease transmission, absorption of transplanted bone cartilage, joint instability, and cartilage collapse, affecting the long-term survival of the graft in the body. This is currently a significant issue in research. Additionally, this method has high requirements for patients and is generally not applicable to diffuse degenerative arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
【Ingesting Special Cartilage to Promote Autologous Cartilage Regeneration】
This method involves ingesting nutrients that promote the proliferation and growth of human cartilage cells to achieve cartilage regeneration. Similar to traditional Chinese medicine, this method uses shark cartilage powder that can promote cartilage regeneration. Long-term clinical studies in Japan and Western countries have shown that ingesting pure natural shark cartilage powder in appropriate amounts can enable most patients to achieve cartilage regeneration. This method is free of side effects, simple to implement, avoids the pain of surgery, and is widely accepted by the public. It is gradually being used clinically as an alternative therapy and has been verified by clinical medicine for cartilage regeneration. However, this method also has shortcomings; the time required for cartilage regeneration is several months to a year, and the cost is higher than ordinary drugs due to the scarcity of raw materials, strict production processes, and high market demand.
Joint cartilage wear, degeneration, and damage are problems that most people may encounter in their lifetime. Every technology and discovery related to cartilage regeneration is still under exploration and pursuit. Some have already become realities benefiting the public. We believe that the maturity and popularization of cartilage regeneration technology will make the problem of cartilage wear solvable!
Article Source: http://news.sohu.com/20100924/n275225814.shtml