What is it?
Osteochondral lesion or osteochondral defect (OCD) is an injury of the cartilage surface of the glenoid and/or humeral head. The cartilage, which is usually normally very thick, is damaged in a discrete area.
What are the Symptoms?
OCD causes shoulder pain and sometimes stiffness. Often the cartilage that has broken off from the bone surfaces can be floating freely in the joint. These are known as ‘loose bodies’ and can cause painful clicking and locking of the joint.
How do you find it?
OCD can be diagnosed on an MRI scan or MR Arthrogram, however the best way to see it is at arthroscopy (key-hole surgery).
How do you treat it?
OCD is generally treated by keyhole surgery, with a technique called ‘microfracture’ This has been shown to have excellent results in pain relief and functional improvement
