Medial meniscus
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| Medial meniscus | |
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| Head of right tibia seen from above, showing menisci and attachments of ligaments. (Medial meniscus visible at left.) | |
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| Left knee-joint from behind, showing interior ligaments. | |
| Latin | meniscus medialis |
| Gray's | subject #93 343 |
The medial meniscus is a fibrocartilage band that spans the medial knee, and lies on the head of the tibia. It is also referred to as the internal semilunar fibrocartilage, as it is nearly semicircular in form. It is a common site of injury, especially if the knee is twisted, as commonly occurs in contact sports.
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[edit] Attachments
Its anterior end, thin and pointed, is attached to the anterior intercondyloid fossa of the tibia, in front of the anterior cruciate ligament;
Its posterior end is fixed to the posterior intercondyloid fossa of the tibia, between the attachments of the lateral meniscus and the posterior cruciate ligament.
[edit] Function
The medial meniscus separates the tibia and femur and serves as a shock absorber, to increase the contact area between the bones, reducing the peak contact force experienced. It also reduces friction between the two bones to allow smooth movement in the knee.
[edit] Injury
Acute injury to the medial meniscus fairly often accompanies an injury to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) or MCL (medial collateral ligament). Healing of the medial meniscus is generally slow. Damage to the outer 1/3 of the meniscus will often fully heal, but the inner 2/3 of the medial meniscus has a limited blood supply and thus limited healing ability. Large tears to the meniscus may require surgical repair or removal. If the meniscus has to be removed (menisectomy) because of injury (either because it cannot heal or because the damage is too severe), the patient has an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee later in life.[1][2][3]
More chronic injury occurs with osteoarthritis, made worse by obesity and high-impact activity. The medial meniscus and the medial compartment are more commonly affected than the lateral compartment.
[edit] See also
[edit] Additional images
 Right knee-joint, from the front, showing interior ligaments. |
 Sagittal section of right knee-joint. |
 Capsule of right knee-joint (distended). Posterior aspect. |
 Normal medial meniscus |
[edit] External links
- The KNEEguru - educational site packed with knee content with sections on meniscal injuries
- SUNY Figs 17:07-06
- Medial+meniscus at eMedicine Dictionary
- Norman/Georgetown lljoints (antkneejointopenflexed)
[edit] References
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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