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Medial Meniscus

Definition

It is a fibrocartilage semicircular band that spans the knee joint medially. It is also referred to as the internal semilunar fibrocartilage. It is a common site of injury, especially if the knee is twisted.

Location

Situated between the medial condyle of the femur and the medial condyle of the tibia.

Attachments

Its anterior end 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.

It is fused with the tibial collateral ligament which makes it far less mobile than the lateral meniscus

Function

The medial meniscus separates the tibia and femur to decrease the contact area between the bones It serves as a shock absorber reducing the peak contact force experienced.

It also reduces friction between the two bones to allow smooth movement in the knee

It distribute load during movement.

Injury

Acute injury to the medial meniscus fairly often accompanies an injury to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) or MCL (medial collateral ligament).

A person occasionally injures the medial meniscus without harming the ligaments.

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 is removed the patient has an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee later in life.

More chronic injury occurs with osteoarthritis, made worse by obesity and high-impact activity