What is meniscus
I am just curious to know about Meniscus. I had an appointment to the radiologist last Feb. 6. I had a problem about my knee. Sometimes it is so painful that I have a hard time with walking or standing too long. Our house doctor said that it is better for me to have it x-ray which I had already done. He also mentioned that it might be about Meniscus. I was still waiting for the result until the radiologist will send the findings to our house doctor. Hopefully I will know it this week. here is some info about Meniscus.
In anatomy, a meniscus (from Greek μηνίσκος meniskos, “crescent” is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. A small meniscus also occurs in the radio-carpal joint.
It usually refers to either of two specific parts of cartilage of the knee: The lateral and medial menisci. 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 “C” shape – a term which has been largely dropped by the medical profession, but which led to the menisci being called knee ‘cartilages’ by the lay public.
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. 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. source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meniscus_(anatomy)
