Anatomy of Torn Cartilage and Other Knee Injuries6545644

The human knee is a quite complicated joint. Two key bones come jointly at the knee -- the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia -- (shin bone). There is a 3rd bone located at the knee -- the patella (knee cap), but it does not participate in the joint amongst the femur and the tibia world trade tibia. The decrease conclude of the femur has two created to match into the concave surfaces on the tibia. But there are several items found in among.

Very first of all, both the decrease finish of the femur and the upper stop of the tibia are coated with a layer of cartilage, referred to as articular cartilage. Secondly, there are two ring-like pads of cartilage inserted in between the articular cartilage of the femur and the articular cartilage of the tibia. One particular of these is found amongst the curved surfaces on the medial facet (nearer to the midline of the body) of the knee and is known as the medial meniscus. The other 1 is positioned between the curved surfaces on the lateral side (farther from the midline of the human body) of the knee and is called the lateral meniscus. Thirdly, there is synovial fluid lubricating all of these cartilage surfaces.

There are also several ligaments linked with the knee. Ligaments are cords of connective tissue which pass from one bone to yet another throughout a joint. Their perform is to make the joint more powerful. Two of these knee ligaments type an X in the area in between the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus. They are called cruciate ligaments, from the latin word for an X. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) begins on the center of the front of the tibia and attaches around the back again of the femur tibiawt. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) commences near the middle of the back again of the tibia and attaches near the front of the femur.

Two other ligaments of the knee are referred to as collateral ligaments. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) begins on the medial aspect of the femur and attaches on the medial facet of the tibia. The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) commences on the lateral aspect of the femur and attaches on the lateral facet of the tibia. Two far more knee ligaments are known as popliteal ligaments. They the two begin on the back again of the femur and give toughness to the back of the knee. The patellar ligament begins at the patella (knee cap) and attaches to the front of the tibia. It provides energy to the entrance of the knee. There are also other ligaments connected with the knee.

One particular variety of knee injury is named a torn cartilage. This refers to a tear in possibly the medial meniscus or the lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus is much more likely to be torn than the lateral meniscus. The purpose for this is that the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is really hooked up to the medial meniscus. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is also attached to the medial meniscus. If the knee is strike from the side or twisted, the force pulls on the medial collateral ligament (MCL), which in change pulls on the medial meniscus, which in flip pulls on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). As a outcome, the two ligaments might stretch or tear. Considering that the meniscus is composed of cartilage, it are not able to stretch so it tears.

A torn lateral meniscus is much significantly less likely to take place, but it is not extremely hard. The lateral meniscus tibiawt is not attached to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but it is connected to the posterior cruciate ligament.

An additional sort of knee damage is a dislocation. This refers to a circumstance in which the upper end of the tibia is pushed out of its regular placement, immediately underneath the reduce stop of the femur. The tibia could be displaced in any path -- forward, backward, to the medial aspect, or the the lateral facet, or it could be twisted in location. With a dislocation, there is the probability of harm to any of the constructions associated with the knee or to any of the blood vessels in the knee region.