To alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, a joint debridement (joint toilet) can be done, in the course of an arthroscopy. Special instruments are used to trim the ragged areas of cartilage and free-floating fragments of cartilage can be rinsed out of the joint (joint washout).

Note: The procedure can often greatly alleviate the current symptoms but it cannot heal the cartilage defect. The effects of this procedure last for a limited time, up to about two years.