In arthrosis, excessive wear of the joint cartilage lining occurs, leading to a complete loss of cartilage with a sometimes noticeable deformation of the joint.  Depending on the stage of the disease, severe pain and increasing loss of mobility can occur, which in extreme cases can result in complete ankylosis of the joint.

What can arthroscopic procedures achieve in arthrosis?

New arthroscopic procedures can often prevent or at least delay artificial joint replacement in cases of mild to at most moderate cases of arthrosis. Arthroscopic treatment relies on two fundamental principles.

1. Reduction of inflammation: Everything that maintains the inflammatory process is removed conservatively from the joint by means of an arthroscopic procedure (e.g. free joint body, unstable cartilage margins).
2. Stimulation of new tissue formation: In order to stimulate the formation of new tissue, the dead surface layer of the bone, which is no longer covered with cartilage, must be removed using special instruments. By means of this procedure, which is called ACRA (articular cartilage regrowth arthroplasty), the blood supply to the bone is exposed and this establishes the basis for the growth of replacement cartilage.

In selected cases, transplantation of chondrocytes may also be useful. In addition, shoulder joint prostheses have now become a very beneficial alternative, by means of which the quality of life may often be considerably improved.