Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In humans, they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; [2] in other animals they may be present in other joints. Generally, the term "meniscus" is used to refer to the cartilage of the knee , either to the lateral or medial meniscus .
A tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to "torn cartilage" in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of one of the tibiae. Menisci can be torn during innocuous activities such as walking or squatting.
Though articular cartilage damage is not life-threatening, it does strongly affect one's quality of life. Articular cartilage damage is often the cause of severe pain, knee swelling, substantial reduction in mobility and severe restrictions to one's activities. Over the last decades, however, research has focused on regenerating damaged joints.
The knee may become affected by almost any form of arthritis. [2] The word arthritis refers to inflammation of the joints. [3] [4] Types of arthritis include those related to wear and tear of cartilage, such as osteoarthritis, to those associated with inflammation resulting from an overactive immune system (such as rheumatoid arthritis). [5] [6]
Osteoarthritis: The cartilage covering bones (articular cartilage) is thinned, eventually completely worn out, resulting in a "bone against bone" joint, resulting in pain and reduced mobility. Osteoarthritis is very common, affects the joints exposed to high stress and is therefore considered the result of "wear and tear" rather than a true ...
An x-ray may be performed in addition to evaluate whether one of the bones in the knee joint was broken during the injury. [9] MRI is perhaps the most used technique for diagnosing the state of the ACL, but it is not always the most reliable technique as the ACL can be obscured by blood that fills the joint after an injury. [34]
The knee is a modified hinge joint, a type of synovial joint, which is composed of three functional compartments: the patellofemoral articulation, consisting of the patella, or "kneecap", and the patellar groove on the front of the femur through which it slides; and the medial and lateral tibiofemoral articulations linking the femur, or thigh bone, with the tibia, the main bone of the lower ...
The patella's posterior surface is covered with a layer of smooth cartilage, which the base of the femur normally glides smoothly against when the knee is bent. However, in some individuals the kneecap tends to rub against one side of the knee joint, irritating the cartilage and causing knee pain. [15]