Articular cartilage is the smooth, low-friction surface that lets your knee glide. Once damaged — by a sports injury, a patellar dislocation or wear and tear — it has very little capacity to heal on its own. Untreated cartilage defects cause pain, swelling and catching, and can progress to early arthritis. Mr Osman Riaz offers the full range of modern cartilage repair and regeneration procedures at clinics in Huddersfield and Halifax, and was the first surgeon in Yorkshire to perform AutoCart cartilage regeneration.
120
ACL reconstructions each year — the highest volume in Yorkshire
200
Keyhole knee operations each year
80
Knee replacements each year, including robotic VELYS
What is AutoCart?
AutoCart is a single-stage cartilage regeneration technique. Instead of taking cells to grow in a laboratory over several weeks (as in older two-stage techniques such as ACI), healthy cartilage is harvested from the edge of your own knee, minced and re-implanted into the defect with a biological glue made from your own blood — all in one keyhole-assisted operation. Using your own fresh cartilage avoids donor tissue, avoids a second operation and keeps costs down, while giving the defect a genuine hyaline cartilage repair rather than weaker scar cartilage.
Cartilage treatments we offer
- AutoCart single-stage cartilage regeneration
- Arthroscopic chondroplasty (smoothing of unstable cartilage flaps)
- Bone marrow stimulation techniques for smaller defects
- Osteochondral fixation for acute cartilage-bone injuries
- Realignment (osteotomy) surgery when limb alignment is overloading the damaged area
- Meniscal transplant where cartilage damage follows loss of the meniscus
Who is suitable for cartilage regeneration?
The best candidates are active patients with a localised cartilage defect rather than widespread arthritis. Assessment involves examination and an MRI scan, and sometimes alignment X-rays, because correcting alignment or ligament instability at the same time is often the key to a lasting result. If regeneration is not appropriate, Mr Riaz will say so and discuss the alternatives honestly — from targeted physiotherapy and injections through to partial or robotic total knee replacement.
Book a cartilage assessment
Clinics are held at Spire Elland Hospital (01422 702951) and The Huddersfield Hospital (01484 533131), or you can use the online booking form. See also the full range of knee surgery services.
