• 1. When tear is too severe to recover.
• 2. When there is a progression of arthritis after meniscectomy.
• 3. When there is pain 6 months after meniscectomy and there is a recommendation from a joint medical specialist through regular checkups.
• 4. When there is degenerative change observed by x-ray.
• 5. Cartilage transplant procedure is much more effective for meniscus damage when young people in their 20s or 30s receive it.

Osteochondral autograft transplantation is a surgery that takes cartilage cells from a non-weight loading area and transplanted it into a damaged cartilage area. This surgery is only possible when the damaged cartilage area is less than 4 cm. The benefits include no side effects because the patient's own cartilage is grafted, and it ends in one procedure. Patients can walk naturally after 6~12 weeks and may jog after 9 months.

Autologous chondrocyte implantation collects non-damaged, healthy cartilage cells and cultures them for one month, and then grafts it onto a damaged area. Joint cartilage cells cannot grow within the body, but when conditions are met, cell division and growth can be induced outside of the body. Once the cultured cartilage cells are grafted, the joint cartilage completely comes back to normal in 6~12 weeks.

When a greatly damaged meniscus is removed, even young patients are exposed to degenerative arthritis, and therefore urgently need a meniscus allograft transplantation. This treatment is for patients who removed over 50% of the meniscus because of severe meniscus tear. Using arthroscopy, the surgery area is observed and a new meniscus from another person in transplanted. Because it transplants a normal meniscus, artificial joint surgery is not needed, and you won't need to worry about side effects from metallic objects entering the body. Patients must stay in the hospital for a week, but they can walk after 4 weeks, and they can go back to their normal activities after 2~3 months.