Anatomy of Torn Cartilage and Other Knee Injuries638846

The human knee is a really complex joint. Two main bones come jointly at the knee -- the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia -- (shin bone). There is a third bone found at the knee -- the patella (knee cap), but it does not participate in the joint amongst the femur and the tibia tibia wt. The reduce conclude of the femur has two aspect to match into the concave surfaces on the tibia. But there are numerous items situated in between.

Very first of all, both the reduced finish of the femur and the higher conclude of the tibia are covered with a layer of cartilage, known as articular cartilage. Secondly, there are two ring-like pads of cartilage inserted between the articular cartilage of the femur and the articular cartilage of the tibia. One particular of these is positioned among the curved surfaces on the medial aspect (closer to the midline of the body) of the knee and is known as the medial meniscus. The other a single is positioned among the curved surfaces on the lateral facet (farther from the midline of the body) of the knee and is known as the lateral meniscus. Thirdly, there is synovial fluid lubricating all of these cartilage surfaces.

There are also numerous ligaments linked with the knee. Ligaments are cords of connective tissue which pass from one particular bone to one more throughout a joint. Their perform is to make the joint more powerful. Two of these knee ligaments sort an X in the area amongst the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus. They are known as cruciate ligaments, from the latin term for an X. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) begins on the middle of the front of the tibia and attaches near the back again of the femur tibiawt. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) begins in close proximity to the middle of the back again of the tibia and attaches in close proximity to the entrance of the femur.

Two other ligaments of the knee are called collateral ligaments. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) commences on the medial facet of the femur and attaches on the medial side of the tibia. The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) commences on the lateral side of the femur and attaches on the lateral side of the tibia. Two far more knee ligaments are called popliteal ligaments. They the two commence on the back of the femur and offer toughness to the again of the knee. The patellar ligament commences at the patella (knee cap) and attaches to the front of the tibia. It provides energy to the front of the knee. There are also other ligaments related with the knee.

One kind of knee injuries is referred to as a torn cartilage. This refers to a tear in possibly the medial meniscus or the lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus is much a lot more likely to be torn than the lateral meniscus. The purpose for this is that the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is truly connected to the medial meniscus. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is also attached to the medial meniscus. If the knee is hit from the aspect or twisted, the power pulls on the medial collateral ligament (MCL), which in flip pulls on the medial meniscus, which in switch pulls on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). As a result, the two ligaments may stretch or tear. Considering that the meniscus is composed of cartilage, it can't stretch so it tears.

A torn lateral meniscus is much less very likely to arise, but it is not unattainable. The lateral meniscus world trade tibia is not hooked up to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but it is connected to the posterior cruciate ligament.

Another type of knee damage is a dislocation. This refers to a scenario in which the upper conclude of the tibia is pushed out of its normal situation, right beneath the decrease end of the femur. The tibia could be displaced in any direction -- ahead, backward, to the medial aspect, or the the lateral aspect, or it could be twisted in location. With a dislocation, there is the possibility of harm to any of the structures related with the knee or to any of the blood vessels in the knee region.