page_title: Meniscus (anatomy)
section_title: Injury
hierarchical_section_title: Meniscus (anatomy) / Clinical significance / Injury
caption_attribution_description: English: Scar from partial left menisectomy in 1980; more recent surgery is less invasive
context_page_description: A meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous anatomical structure that, in contrast to an articular disc, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; 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. Both are cartilaginous tissues that provide structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion. The menisci are also known as "semi-lunar" cartilages, referring to their half-moon, crescent shape.
  The term "meniscus" is from the Ancient Greek word μηνίσκος, meaning "crescent."
context_section_description: In sports and orthopedics, people sometimes speak of "torn cartilage" and will actually be referring to an injury to one of the menisci.  There are two general types of meniscus injuries: acute tears that are often the result of trauma or a sports injury and chronic or wear-and-tear type tears. Acute tears have many different shapes (vertical, horizontal, radial, oblique, complex) and sizes. They are often treated with surgical repair depending upon the patient's age as they rarely heal on their own. Chronic tears are treated symptomatically: physical therapy with or without the addition of injections and anti-inflammatory medications. If the tear causes continued pain, swelling, or knee dysfunction, then the tear can be removed or repaired surgically.
  The unhappy triad is a set of commonly co-occurring knee injuries which includes injury to the medial meniscus.
caption: Scar from partial left menisectomy in 1980 (~30 years before photo); more recent surgery leaves smaller scars.
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