Mercy Medical Center Offers Innovative Treatment for Knee Cartilage Repair

SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center now offers a new treatment option for patients suffering knee cartilage defects with Smith & Nephew’s CARTIHEAL AGILI-C cartilage repair implant.

Dr. Mark Sprague, chair of the Department of Surgery at Mercy, has undergone extensive training in this innovative technology designed to repair damaged cartilage and bone in the knee. In a randomized, controlled trial, patients treated with the CARTIHEAL implant experienced clinically meaningful post-operative improvements in pain, function, and quality of life.

“At Mercy Medical Center, we strive to tailor care to the individual, creating a treatment plan that provides the best possible outcome and helps our patients return to doing what they love,” Sprague said. “The new CARTIHEAL implant is a cutting-edge addition to treatment options for our patients suffering from knee pain.”

Cartilage, a connective tissue in the body, has no blood or nerve supply to nourish the growth of new tissues. The CARTIHEAL implant is intended to repair damaged cartilage. In the past, there were few options to treat damaged articular cartilage. It does not heal well on its own and can cause significant pain. The CARTIHEAL implant is designed to help the body grow new tissue and serves as ‘scaffolding’ for the growth of new tissue in the knee to treat damaged cartilage and bone.

Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Sprague specializes in knee and shoulder surgery, and his clinical areas of expertise include arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgical techniques. He performs total shoulder and reverse shoulder replacements, rotator cuff surgery, and labral surgeries, as well as ligament and meniscal surgeries of the knee.