Brevard Orthopaedics

The Meniscus By Dr. Angus W. Graham III

Ever wonder what makes your knee work so nicely? Well, maybe not, but it's something to ponder, since it is the most frequently injured single joint in our body. (The back is injured more frequently, but it is really lots of joints, not just one.)

There are four main ligaments, three bones, and two very important menisci (meniscus is the singular) that make up the knee. The menisci are crescent shaped pads that fit between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone) and keep them from grinding together. The meniscus essentially distributes the load that is applied to the top of the tibia by our femur as we put all our weight on one leg. That force can be many multiples of our body weight depending on what we are doing or carrying. Each meniscus spreads that force over an area six times greater than it would otherwise be born if the meniscus was not there. That's good when we know that this puts less stress on the precious articular cartilage, a super smooth pearly white substance on the end of our bones that makes up our joint. The meniscus is very durable, but sometimes injured when it tears after a twisting or bending injury to the knee. It has difficulty mending itself. That's where the orthopedic surgeon comes in. Arthroscopic surgery of the knee is performed to either repair or trim out the torn section. This is one of several minimally invasive surgical techniques that allows one to get back to sports or activities quickly. The surgeons of Brevard Orthopaedics are well trained in the minimally invasive surgical technique of arthroscopy.