The Anterior Cruciate ligament keeps the tibia from sliding too far forward in relation to the femur. The Posterior Cruciate ligament keeps the tibia from sliding too far backward in relation to the femur. Working together, the two cruciate ligaments control the back and forth motion of the knee. The ligaments , all taken together, are the most important structures controlling stability of the knee. They help the ligaments with stability of the knee.
Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that make up any joint.
The articular cartilage surface is a tough, very slick material that allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. Let's look back at our ball and plate model of the knee and draw in the meniscus. The meniscus actually wraps around the upper bone to fill the space between the round femur and the flat tibia. The meniscus acts like a gasket, helping to distribute the weight from the femur to the tibia. Now let's look at a cross section of the situation.