A Mini-review of Current Methods and Emerging Technologies in Articular Cartilage Repair

Articular cartilage defects tend to have silent progress, leading to joint incongruency, secondary osteoarthritis, and subsequently pain, restricted mobility, and quality of life impairments in patients worldwide. Yet, functional articular cartilage repair has remained a big challenge in the orthopedics and tissue engineering field. In this mini-review, the clinical efficiency of the currently used methods and procedures for articular cartilage repair and promising emerging technologies that would possibly replace or be implemented in the currently used techniques were highlighted. The future directions in articular cartilage repair methods and materials were also critically addressed by elaborating on current limitations hindering the evolution of the emerging technologies supporting articular cartilage regeneration.