Reclaim the Moments That Matter by Treating Knee Cartilage Pain
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Reclaim the Moments That Matter by Treating Knee Cartilage Pain

Knee pain sufferer making a return to running.

Finding Your MACI Moment

Is knee cartilage pain holding you back? Treating your cartilage damage could allow you to get back to the moments that matter.

Patients say the unique goals they set for an active life after MACI knee cartilage repair empower them during treatment and rehab to get back to doing what they love most. For some, their goals include keeping up with their kids, making a return to running—or simply descending the stairs without pain.

In fact, many knee pain sufferers can pinpoint the emotional moment after MACI when they achieved a physical goal—big or small—that crystallized their return to an active life. We call that a MACI Moment.

MACI patients Adam and Chris* share their MACI Moments—and what life is like today post-MACI, in the videos below.

 

Click here to find a MACI specialist in your area
 

 

What to Expect Post-Surgery

To set a course for success, patients commit not only to treatment, but also to a personalized 6- to 9-month rehab program after MACI surgery. Be sure to follow the advice of your own doctor as you pursue your rehab goals.

Everyone’s knee cartilage treatment journey may look different, and results will vary, but MACI patients can set recovery goals based on common rehab milestones.

Patients typically experience the following during MACI recovery:

  • First Week: Within one week post-op, patients are mobile with crutches. Patients will also begin a personalized, physician-prescribed rehabilitation program following surgery.
  • Return to Routine: During the first three months post-op, many patients can return to light recreational movements. This includes the ability to walk, drive and navigate the stairs with crutches.
  • Building Strength: Between three and six months, patients may return to low-impact recreational activities, resume more physically active jobs and return to daily activities that require strength and endurance.
  • Be Active: By six to nine months after MACI — many patients can claim their “MACI Moment.” Patients may return to running distances, weight training, tennis – even skiing and snowboarding.

Are you considering making your move? Learn more about how MACI works, and speak to your doctor to understand if it may be an option for you.

 

Please see below for full indication and ISI. Blog posts are intended to provide educational information only and do not constitute medical advice. Always talk to your doctor with any questions.

*Adam and Chris are MACI patients and have been trained and compensated for their time by Vericel.  

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Indication and Important Safety Information

Important Safety Information

MACI should not be used if you:

  • are allergic to antibiotics such as gentamicin, or materials that come from cow, pig, or ox;
  • have severe osteoarthritis of the knee, other severe inflammatory conditions, infections or inflammation in the bone joint and other surrounding tissue, or blood clotting conditions;
  • have had knee surgery in the past 6 months, not including surgery for obtaining a cartilage biopsy or a surgical procedure to prepare your knee for a MACI implant;
  • or cannot follow a doctor-prescribed rehabilitation program after your surgery

Consult your doctor if you have cancer in the area of the cartilage biopsy or implant as the safety of MACI is not known in those cases.

Conditions that existed before your surgery, including meniscus tears, joint or ligament instability, or alignment problems should be evaluated and treated before or at the same time as the MACI implant.

MACI is not recommended if you are pregnant.

MACI has not been studied in patients younger than 18 or over 55 years of age.

Common side effects include joint pain, tendonitis, back pain, joint swelling, and joint effusion.

More serious side effects include joint pain, cartilage or meniscus injury, treatment failure, and osteoarthritis.

Please see Full Prescribing Information for more information.

Indication

MACI® is made up of your own (autologous) cells that are expanded and placed onto a film that is implanted into the area of the cartilage damage and absorbed back into your own tissue.

MACI® (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) is made up of your own (autologous) cells that are expanded and placed onto a film that is implanted into the area of the cartilage damage and absorbed back into your own tissue.

MACI is used for the repair of symptomatic cartilage damage of the adult knee.

The amount of MACI applied depends on the size of the cartilage damage. The MACI film is trimmed by your surgeon to match the size and shape of the damage, to ensure the damaged area is completely covered.

Limitations of Use

It is not known whether MACI is effective in joints other than the knee.

It is not known whether MACI is safe or effective in patients over the age of 55 years.