I'm a 28 year old male in generally very good shape. However, I had a knee scope in November 2022 because of a cartilage issue that's right below the kneecap. It caused pain when running and stair climbing.

The scope has definitely helped the running issue, but unfortunately I'm still having pain and popping in the knee especially after trying to stand up. My doc gave a cortisone shot 3 weeks ago to see if it would help, but It seems even worse now and I've been waking up in the middle of the night with my knee throbbing.

It never really hurts during exercise but after its pretty painful. My doc said MACI is probably my best shot. Considering I'm fairly young and healthy that I'm probably an ideal candidate.

I'm very nervous to go through with it though and am hoping for some advice here. I don't have any family or friends who would be able to help me around the house and I also live in a basement so stairs will be an issue.

Mostly, I'm concerned that I will destroy my future athletic ability (basketball, running and hiking) at a pretty young age. If I went through with this and it got worse or didn't help, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself.