Outer meniscus

The outer meniscus is a sickle-shaped element in the knee joint, consisting of fibrous cartilage, which is also located between the joint surfaces of the femur and tibia. Like the inner meniscus, the outer meniscus also has the task of absorbing shocks and distributing the loading pressure evenly over a larger area. In contrast to the inner meniscus, the outer meniscus is not fused with the joint capsule and the outer collateral ligament (outer ligament), which is why the outer meniscus is less frequently affected by injuries than the inner meniscus.

In contrast to the inner meniscus, the outer meniscus is loaded during inner rotation and relieved during outer rotation.It also acts as a sliding bearing between the joint surfaces and helps, among other things, to better distribute the synovial fluid in the knee joint and thus ensure better sliding. If an injury occurs to the outer meniscus, it can be traumatic or caused by wear and tear, just like the inner meniscus. The assessment of the injury is also similar to that of the damage to the inner meniscus. Clinical meniscus signs and imaging techniques help to make a diagnosis. Likewise, the therapeutic procedure and the prognosis of the inner meniscus lesion are similar (see above).

Tasks of the meniscus

However, the individual tasks will be presented here once again in short form. The menisci in the knee joint area have the following tasks and functions: Increasing the contact surface: The knee joint connects the thigh (= femur) with the lower leg (= tibia). Since both thighs have a different structure and thus a different joint surface, they would only form a small contact surface if they were placed on top of each other without the knee joint and menisci.

In order to avoid this instability and non-functionality, menisci, which could also be described as “washers” on a craftsman’s level, were created in the course of human development. Stabilizer:Stabilizing functions are attributed especially to the posterior horn of the meniscus. It sits like a brake block between the tibia and femur and prevents the tibial head from sliding forward.

Buffering function:Due to the great elasticity resulting from the fibrous cartilage tissue structure of the menisci, impacts acting from the upper to the lower leg are buffered. This is an appropriate comparison to shock absorbers in a car.

The increase of the contact area
Stabilization
Buffer or shock absorber function