ChondroFiller®liquidPatient and professional information

What to expect

What happens before, during and after treatment.

This page explains what to expect if you and your surgeon decide to go ahead with ChondroFiller® liquid: the appointments, how it is given, and your recovery after an injection or after keyhole surgery.

FAQWhat it is
A surgeon and a patient looking at a knee MRI on a monitor in a consultation room

Step by step

What happens, from consultation to follow-up.

  1. Step 01

    Consultation and imaging

    A surgeon assesses your joint, your history and your scans, and discusses whether ChondroFiller is worth considering for you.

    Illustration of a cartilage defect in the knee joint
    Discussed with your surgeon alongside your scans, illustrative

  2. Step 02

    Decision with the surgeon

    You and your surgeon decide together whether to go ahead. Clinics set their own fees; ask the clinic.

    A patient seated in a consultation room looking at a knee MRI on a wall screen
    You and your surgeon decide together, including how it will be given, illustrative

  3. Step 03

    Treatment

    ChondroFiller is injected into the damaged area of cartilage and sets within minutes, forming a collagen scaffold. Depending on the joint and your surgeon, it is given as an ultrasound-guided injection without surgery, or during keyhole (arthroscopic) surgery.

    Illustration of ChondroFiller being applied into a prepared cartilage defect
    ChondroFiller is injected into the prepared area and sets firm, illustrative

  4. Step 04

    Recovery and follow-up

    Your surgeon will talk you through aftercare and arrange follow-up.

If your surgeon suggests an injection in another joint

For joints other than the base of the thumb, an ultrasound-guided injection is outside the manufacturer’s instructions. UK surgeons, including in private practice, can lawfully use a device this way when they judge it right for you; they take responsibility for that decision and should tell you, explain the evidence and the alternatives, and record it as part of your consent. How this works.

Prepare for your consultation

Questions to ask your surgeon

  1. 1What do my scans show, and is ChondroFiller an option for my joint?
  2. 2Will you give it by ultrasound-guided injection or during keyhole surgery, and why?
  3. 3Is that within the manufacturer’s instructions for my joint, and what is the evidence for it?
  4. 4What is your experience with this implant?
  5. 5What does recovery involve?
  6. 6What are the alternatives?
  7. 7What will it cost at this clinic?

Recovery

Recovery depends on how it was given.

An injection and keyhole surgery lead to different aftercare. Your surgeon sets your plan for your joint and the route they used.

A patient on a stationary bicycle in a physiotherapy studio with a physiotherapist alongside
Rehabilitation is planned by your surgeon for your joint, illustrative

After an ultrasound-guided injection

  • In the published thumb study, the injection was given through the skin with a local anaesthetic, with no incision.4
  • In the published thumb study, the thumb was supported in a brace for two weeks afterwards.4
  • In that study, most of the improvement came between two and six months after the injection.4
  • For other joints, your surgeon will tell you how much to rest the joint, when to load it and when to return to activity.

After keyhole surgery

  • After the wound is closed, the joint is held still in a brace (an orthosis) for 48 hours.2
  • Weight goes back through the joint gradually, over about 6 to 8 weeks, following your doctor’s instructions.2
  • Return to sport comes later and depends on the joint and the defect; the manufacturer’s tables put high-load sport at six months or beyond.1

Risks

What the manufacturer reports about risk.

The manufacturer states: 'In rare cases, hypersensitivity reactions to collagen such as allergic or inflammatory reactions can occur.' No adverse events were reported in the published multicentre trial of 23 randomised patients, 13 of whom received ChondroFiller. If you notice anything you are concerned about after treatment, contact the clinic that treated you.2,3

Studies mentioned on this page

  1. 1.Meidrix Biomedicals GmbH. ChondroFiller rehabilitation guidance. Manufacturer publication, 2022. View source
  2. 2.Meidrix Biomedicals GmbH. ChondroFiller® liquid patient education leaflet. Manufacturer publication, 2022. View source
  3. 3.Schneider U. Controlled, randomized multicenter study to compare compatibility and safety of ChondroFiller liquid (cell free 2-component collagen gel) with microfracturing of patients with focal cartilage defects of the knee joint. Video Journal of Orthopedics Surgery, 1:1-8, 2016. View DOI
  4. 4.Corain M, Faccioli N, Lavagnolo U. The Use of Collagen-Based Filler for Trapeziometacarpal Osteoarthritis: Long-Term Follow-Up and Future Applications. Cartilage, 17(3):467-474, 2025. View DOI

Questions before you decide.

Read the frequently asked questions, or ask a question about this website.

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