cartilage healing

[everything]

I had some damage (grade 3 tears) a year ago (and surely starting before that). Here's some of what I did, but wondering what the RSF crowd wisdom would say.

Theory:
- cartilage doesn't get any blood supply so you have to let the lubrication of the joints from gentle exercises (like walking, tai chi, etc.) slowly heal it.
- cartilage doesn't have nerve endings in it, so if you damage it, unfortunately you don't get a hint from pain until too late (when you feel other damage in other areas near it)
- inactivity is bad for it (see first point) so you have to keep doing some gentle exercises with some weight bearing.

Practice:
- did exercises my PT assigned, plus kneesovertoesguy (essentially push the ROM slowly, add a tiny amount of load super gradually), plus Kadour Ziani "cat stretch" and work toward "Asian squat" (my term).
- bit of walking and tai chi form (more walking than form)
- every so often test it (stupid idea for the most part) with a few min of futbol or related training. usually this doesn't cause pain, but I can detect some weakness.
- take some "building block" supplements like collagen peptides, omega-3, glucosamin chondroitin w/msm
- some massage gun stuff.

Results:
- after one year, only by feel, I can tell my knee is a lot stronger now, but I can also tell it's not "healed".
- not sure it'll ever be fully healed, but I'll see how strong I can make the muscles, ligaments, tendons around it as compensation (and the cartilage probably heals somewhat).
- no idea if I'll ever do agility type sports again (probably should NOT, but hey you never know). I suppose real goal is move like those 91 year old IMA guys at that age (and attain that age), nevermind IMA skill.

What else do you think I should do? anything to add, subtract, modify?

[windwalker]

you might add this to your list

" chicken feet are a classic dish found in all authentic Cantonese dim sum restaurants. "

A further study shows that chicken feet are rich in protein, collagen, and cartilage consisting of glucosamine, collagen, and chondroitin sulfate A, B, and C. Moreover, the feet bones deposit 99% calcium and mineral in animals.
These contents are the precursor in synthetic repair of cartilage and joints.

[everything]

Ah good one, thanks. Food instead of supplements is always good.

Forgot to add I’m thinking of “jogging” in the pool as well.

I can walk 25k steps in a day and feel fine but want to “bulletproof”.

[origami_itto]

I tore my minuscus while doing push hands in the time between severing my ACL and getting a new one. At one point just before the surgery I nearly dropped from pain just shifting from rear to forward bow stance. They had to trim it up a bit to make it neat and of course there is ancillary damage during the surgery in 2019.

PT and Taijiquan and it's pretty solid, though it's taken a while to take the wobble out. There's some bone damage around the joint that still gives it a bit too much play so I am wearing my brace most days when I'm active or I start accumulating some chronic ache.

[everything]

Yeah, I don't detect a wobble now, but I detect "weakness" if that makes sense. It's a strange feeling b/c the muscles feel fine, and it's not a sharp or dull pain. I'm just kinda assuming strengthen the muscles and eventually ligaments and tendons strengthen, and then finally the cartilage will be as ok as it can be, short of emerging super high tech treatments.