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Knee meniscus
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The medial meniscus is a crescent-shaped band of cartilage that lives inside the knee, on the inner side, resting between the medial condyle of the tibia and the medial condyle of the femur, that is, between the two bony bumps of the bones that meet there.
Its main job is to spread load across the joint so that weight does not land on a single point. It does this through the way it is built: its layers convert compressive stress, the kind that presses from top to bottom, into circumferential stress, the kind that runs along the band. A rubber ring under weight: as it flattens it pushes outward instead of sinking.
Beyond that, the menisci provide stabilization, shock absorption, nutrition, and proprioception, the sense of knowing where a joint is without looking at it. And there is one more anatomical fact: only 10% to 30% of the medial meniscus receives blood directly.
In brief
The medial meniscus is a crescent-shaped band of cartilage between the medial tibial and medial femoral condyles.
Its main job is to spread load across the joint: its layered architecture dissipates compressive stress by converting it into circumferential stress.
A rubber ring under weight: as it flattens it pushes outward instead of sinking.
The menisci, medial and lateral, also provide stabilization, shock absorption, nutrition, and proprioception; only 10% to 30% of the medial meniscus has a direct blood supply.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Medial Meniscus, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated