Cartilage: Giving Our Joints the Gift of Glide

Surfacing our joints, cartilage provides pain-free and nearly friction-free movement, often for many decades but not necessarily for one’s entire life. Cartilage degradation and injury are the sources of arthritis, which can disable an otherwise healthy musculoskeletal system. In this course, we examine the arrangement, composition, and oddities of cartilage, how it tends to thin over time and lead to osteoarthritis. Following examples of current treatments for osteoarthritis, we turn to other conditions including growth abnormalities, injuries, and rheumatoid arthritis. We finish with describing cartilage and its maladies in other animals and what is on the horizon for cartilage regeneration and artificial replacements. This course uses the Hybrid format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for 30 days.