Meniscus (anatomy)

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For other uses, see Meniscus.

Meniscus (anatomy)

Head of right tibia seen from above, showing menisci

and attachments of ligaments

Left knee-joint from behind, showing interior

ligaments
Details
Identifiers
Latin
Menisci
Dorlands
m_09
/Elsevier
TA
A03.0.00.033
FMA
76690
Anatomical terminology
[edit on Wikidata]

In anatomy, a meniscus (from Greek meniskos, "crescent"[1]) is a crescent-shaped

fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint
cavity.[2] In humans they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular,
and temporomandibular joints;[3] in other animals they may be present in other joints.

Generally, the term 'meniscus' is used to refer to the cartilage of the knee, either to the lateral
or medial meniscus. Both are cartilaginous tissues that provide structural integrity to the knee
when it undergoes tension and torsion. The menisci are also known as "semi-lunar"
cartilages referring to their half-moon, crescent shape.

Contents

1 Structure

2 Function

3 Clinical significance
o

3.1 Injury

3.2 Non-surgical treatment

3.3 Surgical treatment

4 Additional images

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

Structure
The menisci of the knee are two pads of fibrocartilaginous tissue which serve to disperse
friction in the knee joint between the lower leg (tibia) and the thigh (femur). They are concave
on the top and flat on the bottom, articulating with the tibia. They are attached to the small
depressions (fossae) between the condyles of the tibia (intercondyloid fossa), and towards the
center they are unattached and their shape narrows to a thin shelf.[4] The blood flow of the
meniscus is from the periphery (outside) to the central meniscus. Blood flow decreases with
age and the central meniscus is avascular by adulthood, leading to very poor healing rates.

Function
The menisci act to disperse the weight of the body and reduce friction during movement.
Since the condyles of the femur and tibia meet at one point (which changes during flexion and
extension), the menisci spread the load of the body's weight.[5] This differs from sesamoid
bones, which are made of osseous tissue and whose function primarily is to protect the nearby
tendon and to increase its mechanical effect.

Clinical significance
Injury

Main article: Tear of meniscus

Scar from partial left menisectomy in 1980 (~30 years before photo); more recent surgery
leaves smaller scars.
In sports and orthopedics, people will sometimes speak of "torn cartilage" and actually be
referring to an injury to one of the menisci. There are two general types of meniscus injuries,
acute tears that are often the result of trauma or a sports injury and chronic or wear-and-tear
type tears. Acute tears have many different shapes (vertical, horizontal, radial, oblique,
complex) and sizes. They are often treated with surgical repair depending upon the patient's
age as they rarely heal on their own. Chronic tears are treated symptomatically: physical
therapy with or without the addition of injections and anti-inflammatory medications. If the
tear causes continued pain, swelling, or knee dysfunction, then the tear can be removed or
repaired surgically. The unhappy triad is a set of commonly co-occurring knee injuries which
includes injury to the medial meniscus.

Non-surgical treatment
Non-surgical treatment is often considered first for a smaller or chronic tear that does not
appear amenable to surgical repair. It consists of activity modification, physical therapy for
strengthening and range of motion, electro-acupuncture.

Surgical treatment
Two surgeries of the meniscus are most common. Depending on the type and location of the
tear, the patient's age, and physician's preference, injured menisci are usually either repaired
or removed, in part or completely (meniscectomy). Each has its advantages and
disadvantages. Many studies show the meniscus serves a purpose and therefore doctors will
attempt to repair when possible. However, the meniscus has poor blood supply, and, therefore,
healing can be difficult. Traditionally it was thought that if there is no chance of healing, then
it is best to remove the damaged and non-functional meniscus. This has been found to be
wrong in some cases in at least one study.[6]

Additional images

See also
This article uses anatomical terminology; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology.

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy

Discoid meniscus

Anterior cruciate ligament

Meniscus transplant

References
1.
, "small moon", is diminutive of , "moon", from the root ma-, "measure",
which reflects the fact the time was measured according to the phases of the moon. The word
was also used for curved things in general, such as a necklace or a line of battle. (Lexicon of
Orthopaedic Etymology, p 199)
Platzer (2004), p 208
.Meniscus, Stedman's (27th ed.)
Gray's (1918), 7b
Cluett, Meniscus Tear Torn Cartilage
1.

Sihvonen, Raine; Mika Paavola, M.D., Ph.D., Antti Malmivaara, M.D.,

Ph.D., Ari Itl, M.D., Ph.D., Antti Joukainen, M.D., Ph.D., Heikki Nurmi, M.D.,
Juha Kalske, M.D., and Teppo L.N. Jrvinen, M.D., Ph.D (December 26, 2013).
"Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative
Meniscal Tear". The New England Journal of Medicine 369 (26): 25042514.
doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1305189. PMID 24369076. Retrieved 2014-04-04. Cite uses
deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help)

Sources

"Meniscus". Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 27th edition. eMedicine - Lippincott

Williams & Wilkins. 2003. Retrieved 2008-02-20.

Cluett, Jonathan (February 10, 2008). "Meniscus Tear Torn Cartilage". About.com.
Retrieved 2008-02-20.

Diab, Mohammad (1999). Lexicon of Orthopaedic Etymology. Taylor & Francis.

ISBN 90-5702-597-3.

Gray, Henry (1918). "7b. The Knee-joint". Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body.
Retrieved 2008-02-20.[full citation needed]

Platzer, Werner (2004). Color Atlas of Human Anatomy, Vol. 1: Locomotor System
(5th ed.). Thieme. ISBN 3-13-533305-1.