Lower limb
Medial meniscus of the knee (Body, anterior horn, posterior horn)
Meniscus medialis (Corpus, cornu anterius et cornu posterius)
- Origin
- C-shaped fibrocartilage wedge; anterior horn inserts anterior to ACL on tibial plateau; posterior horn inserts anterior to PCL
- Insertion
- Firmly attached along its entire periphery to the joint capsule and deep MCL (coronary ligaments)
- Function
- Bears 50–70% of medial compartment compressive loads, increases joint contact area by 200%, provides shock absorption, and acts as secondary brake against anterior translation
- Innervation
- Avascular and aneural in inner two-thirds (white zone); outer 10–30% (red-red zone) is vascularized and innervated by tibial nerve branches
- Movement & chain
- Translates ~5 mm posteriorly during knee flexion (less mobile than lateral meniscus due to MCL attachment)
- Palpation
- Palpable along medial joint line during knee flexion/internal rotation
- Clinical
- Medial meniscus tears (bucket-handle tear causing true mechanical joint locking; root tears causing rapid medial joint space loss); positive McMurray, Thessaly, and joint line tenderness.
- Segmental innervation
- L3–S1
- In clinical practice
- Thessaly and McMurray testing, meniscus repair rehabilitation (partial weight-bearing and flexion limits initially), and cartilage preservation strategies
- Region in the model
- Lower limb