Chronic knee pain is a common issue affecting the lives of many across the U.S., causing restricted mobility and even forcing people to give up the activities they love. While knee pain is common, it is often something that goes untreated for long periods of time generally because people think they can live with the pain or hope one day it will just go away. For specific knee injuries like articular cartilage damage, treatment is necessary, as it does not heal on its own.

Luckily, there are several treatment options available for patients with knee pain, including knee cartilage injuries. These treatment options include chondroplasty, marrow stimulation repair procedures, osteochondral implants and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). To help patients who suffer from knee cartilage damage, Dr. Geoffrey Van Thiel, an orthopedic surgeon at Ortho Illinois and team physician with the Chicago Blackhawks Medical Network, uses these treatment options, as well as the MACI® knee cartilage implant procedure, a third generation ACI treatment that helps repairs cartilage defects using a patient’s own cells.

To better understand perceptions around knee pain and the available treatment options, Dr. Van Thiel discusses the results of a recent survey on how those with chronic knee pain in the U.S. approach treatment, how quickly they take action, their activity level and what they know about their treatment options. The survey was commissioned by Vericel, the manufacturer of MACI for the repair of symptomatic knee cartilage damage in adults, with The Harris Poll.
HCB News: Based on the survey data and your experience treating those with chronic knee pain, what are the major impacts of knee pain?

Dr. Geoffrey Van Thiel: Knee pain can significantly alter a patient’s life in various ways. One major impact it can have on patients is their ability to participate in the activities they enjoy. According to the survey, over half of knee pain sufferers experience a decrease in their mobility, affecting the level and number of activities they can do. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the knee pain sufferers who reported playing a team sport said they no longer play because of their knee pain. A similar proportion (73%) of prior runners said the same.

Based on my experience, this inability to participate in life’s activities, has broader implications, which the survey data also shows – more than 8 in 10 people surveyed (86%) reported that their overall quality of life was negatively impacted due to their knee pain. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people said their knee pain held them back from enjoying their life and an even greater proportion (70% and 77%, respectively) said they missed out on doing things they love because of their knee pain and forgot what it was like to be pain free.

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