MICROANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Cartilage, like bone, is surrounded by a perichondrium-like fibrous membrane. This layer is not efficient at regenerating cartilage. Hence, its recovery is slow after injury. The lack of active blood flow is the major reason any injury to cartilage takes a long time to heal.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cartilage is not innervated and therefore relies on diffusion to obtain nutrients. This causes it to heal very slowly. The main cell types in cartilage are chondrocytes, the ground substance is chondroitin sulfate, and the fibrous sheath is called perichondrium.

Detailed explanation-3: -There are no blood vessels in cartilage to supply the chondrocytes with nutrients. Instead, nutrients diffuse through a dense connective tissue surrounding the cartilage (called the perichondrium) and into the core of the cartilage.