# How does cartilage grow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-cartilage-grow/973799 "2022-10-26T02:03:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-cartilage-grow/973799/1 "2022-10-26T02:03:07Z")
My wife has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus. The orthopedist said the treatment is to arthroscopically snip the tear so that the flappy edges are not rubbing on nerves in surrounding tissue (I am paraphrasing as a layman.) I asked him why don’t they just sew the tear up. He said that the blood supply to the meniscus is around the edges, and if they make a repair to the center, it won’t heal. If it has no blood supply and therefore can’t heal, how did it grow to be there in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![CorpusNeptune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corpusneptune/32/17561_2.png) [@CorpusNeptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorpusNeptune)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-cartilage-grow/973799/2 "2022-10-26T02:32:49Z")
Cartilage grows via a process called chondrogenesis, which secretes the molecules that form the extracellular matrix. There are two specific types of cartilage growth: **Appositional growth** occurs when [chondroblasts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondroblast) secrete new matrix along existing surfaces and this causes the cartilage to expand and widen. In **interstitial growth** , [chondrocytes](https://www.google.com/search?q=chondrocytes) secrete new matrix within the cartilage and this causes it to grow in length. Feel free to correct me if I got any of this wrong.