ACI therapy usually involves two stages of ACI surgery. During the first minimally invasive surgery, surgeons take a sample of your cartilage from a non-weight-bearing joint and send it to a lab, where technicians grow more cells over a period of weeks. During a second, open surgery, surgeons implant the cultured cartilage tissue patch into the damaged or defective joint.
After the second surgery, you and your doctor will develop a post-surgery plan for healing, which may involve physical therapy, rehabilitation, motion training, rest and other recommendations to help you heal. Full recovery can take anywhere from 12 to 15 months, although this time frame varies widely.
