Knee anatomy All images show anterior view Important terms Cruciate: descriptive terms meaning to form a cross or shaped like a cross Collateral: descriptive term meaning secondary or side branch or even small branch Meniscus: cartilage (more specifically fibrocartilage) that helps reduce friction between some joints.Very tough material Four Major Ligaments of the Knee
Lateral collateral ligament Medial collateral ligament Anterior cruciate ligament Posterior curciate ligament 1 patella bone 2 femur bone 3 patellar ligament (cut) 4 lateral collateral ligament 5 Medial collateral ligament 6 medial meniscus 7 lateral meniscus Not shown: patellar tendon found between the patella and muscle (quadriceps) that cover the anterior side of the femur. 3 patellar ligament (cut)- attaches patella to the tuberosity of the tibia
4 lateral collateral ligament /connects lateral femoral condyle to the head of the fibula 5 Medial collateral ligament connects medial femoral condyle to medial condyle of the tibia 1 fibula bone 2 femur bone 3 tibia bone 4lateral collateral ligament 5 medial collateral ligament 6 medial meniscus 7 lateral meniscus 1 fibula bone 2 femur bone 3 tibia bone 4posterior cruciate ligament 5 anterior cruciate ligament Physiology Why so long to recover after a knee injury?
The key to injury recovery is tissue repair.A torn ACL, or torn meniscus (better known as torn cartilage), takes a long time to recover because ligaments and cartilage have a very low blood supply.Low blood supply means low metabolism (low amounts of oxygen, sugar, etc.) and therefore take a long time to repair.Instead of waiting for an ALC to repair itself, most people resort to surgery. Torn ACL Draw a knee joint!