Scientists say they are getting close to developing an artificial meniscus — the shock-absorbing cartilage pad in the knee that millions of people damage every year, often requiring surgery.

The Wall Street Journal reports researchers have created artificial replacements for arms, legs, joints, and other body parts.

Now scientists across the nation are close to achieving the same goal to repair meniscus tears, which could stave off more serious problems, including arthritis and knee-replacement surgery.

• Earlier this year, a 54-year-old Ohio bank examiner became the first American to have a synthetic meniscus — called NUsurface — implanted in his knee as part of a clinical trial.
• Scientists from New York’s Cornell and Columbia universities have tested a new way of growing a new meniscus inside the knee joint using a 3-D printer and the body’s own stem cells. The work, successfully conducted in sheep, could soon involving testing in people.
• Other meniscus replacement techniques are being developed or in use in Europe, and researchers in the U.S. are experimenting with other scaffolding materials.

Nicholas DiNubile, a knee specialist in Havertown, Pa., and a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, told The Journal both approaches could be a “game changer — no question” in the treatment of keen injuries that strike millions of athletes, weekend warriors, and seniors each year.

“But it’s a tall order,” he acknowledges. “You’re trying to replace Mother Nature here. We’ve been burned before.”

More than four million Americans sought care for meniscus tears in 2009, the latest numbers available — twice as many as in 2000, according to the AAOS.