Articular cartilage is devoid of blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves, making it inherently incapable of self-repair. Consequently, cartilage injuries often fail to heal naturally, necessitating the use of palliative, reparative, and regenerative treatments. Among these approaches, stem cell therapy has a great potential for the treatment of articular cartilage injuries. Notably, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), a well-established stem cell type, are extensively employed in cartilage repair therapy because of their unique biological characteristics. The objective of this article was to review the current domestic and international literature on the method of BMSC extraction, phenotype identification, multidirectional differentiation capacity, and their recent application in repairing articular cartilage injuries. The ultimate goal is to provide valuable insights into the precise and efficient treatment of cartilage injuries using BMSCs, thereby serving as a useful reference for medical practitioners in this field.