A 32-year-old member asked:
what is the purpose of the cartilage rings of the trachea?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Hassan Arshad answered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 16 years experience
Support: The cartilage rings (which aren't really rings because they don't go all the way around) give support to the trachea so it doesn't collapse during respiration and give some protection as well.
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Similar questions
CA
A 27-year-old member asked:
Is there anything I can do about cartilage problems?
2 doctor answers • 7 doctors weighed in
Dr. Kevin Stone answered
Specializes in Sports Medicine
Repair: Depends on which type and what joint. Meniscus cartilages can be repaired or replaced, articular cartilage can be grafted with a paste graft technique if worn down to bone or smoothed surgically.
6290 views
A 36-year-old member asked:
Can getting cartilage tears be a hereditary problem?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. John Ayres answered
Orthopedic Surgery 37 years experience
No: Cartilage tears occur from being active. There is no hereditary component to it. If you come from a physically active family, your family is more likely to have activity-related injuries, like cartilage tears, . It's not because it runs in your family, it's because your family runs.
6376 views
CA
A 39-year-old member asked:
Can your meniscal cartilage heal on its own with enough time?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gwo-Chin Lee answered
Orthopedic Surgery 23 years experience
No: Meniscal tears usually do not heal because the blood supply is poor. Only peripheral tears which tend to be unstable have a potential for healing because these tears occur in a zone with good blood supply. However, because these tend to be unstable, patients have surgery because of significant knee symptoms.
6366 views
A 48-year-old member asked:
Can cartilage be reshaped through manual manipulation or pressure?
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Allen Lu answered
Orthopedic Surgery 24 years experience
No: The overall shape of the cartilage is fixed and cannot be changed. The cartilage can deform and absorb energy and shock through manipulation, but will go right back to its original shape. That is the amazing part of cartilage. Pressure and manipulation will only temporarily change its shape (it immediately returns to its normal configuration).
5742 views
A 23-year-old member asked:
The area around my r 6&7 rib - the costal cartilage feels like friction or something crackling there, is it "normal "?
2 doctor answers • 8 doctors weighed in
Dr. Paul Williams answered
Family Medicine 35 years experience
Cartilage and ribs: The 6-9th ribs share a common cartilagenous connection with the sternum. You may have had a cartilage separation - very painful but usually due to high force trauma. You may also have costochondritis - which is a painful inflammation of that joint. A rib x-ray should be able to give some clues.
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Last updated Apr 26, 2019
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