Lower limb
Lateral meniscus of the knee (Body, anterior horn, posterior horn)
Meniscus lateralis (Corpus, cornu anterius et cornu posterius)
- Origin
- Nearly circular O-shaped fibrocartilage covering up to 80% of lateral tibial plateau
- Insertion
- Anchored near intercondylar eminence; interrupted posterolaterally at the popliteal hiatus
- Function
- Transmits up to 70% of lateral compartment load; highly mobile to adapt to large rollback excursions of the lateral femoral condyle
- Innervation
- Common fibular and tibial nerve articular branches
- Movement & chain
- Translates 10–12 mm posteriorly during deep flexion (twice as mobile as medial meniscus)
- Palpation
- Palpable on lateral joint line in figure-four position
- Clinical
- Lateral meniscus tears (radial tears, root tears, discoid lateral meniscus in children causing snapping/clunking); parameniscal cysts.
- Segmental innervation
- L4–S1
- In clinical practice
- Figure-4 palpation test, lateral joint line tenderness, and arthroscopic saucersization for symptomatic discoid meniscus
- Region in the model
- Lower limb