Anterior meniscotibial ligament (Medial meniscus)
Ligamentum meniscotibiale anterius (Meniscus medialis)
The fibrous root that anchors the front end of the medial meniscus to the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia.
At a glance
- English
- Anterior meniscotibial ligament (Medial meniscus)
- Latin (TA2)
- Ligamentum meniscotibiale anterius (Meniscus medialis)
- System
- Ligament
- Region
- Lower limb
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the anterior meniscotibial ligament (medial meniscus)
The medial meniscus is a C-shaped crescent of fibrocartilage on the medial condyle of the tibia, narrow in front and broad behind. Its thin anterior horn is fixed to the bone by the anterior meniscotibial ligament, a short root that attaches to the front part of the anterior intercondylar area, well in front of the tibial attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament. It is the most anterior of the four meniscal roots.
From near this root the transverse ligament of the knee often runs laterally to the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus as a whole moves less than the lateral one, because along its outer edge it is fixed to the joint capsule and to the deep part of the tibial collateral ligament, as well as to the margin of the tibia by short capsular fibres.
The anterior root, like the others, keeps the meniscus working as a hoop that spreads load across the tibial surface. Its exact site varies between knees: in some it lies far forward on the front slope of the tibia, and in others it attaches partly to the transverse ligament. Tears of this root are less common than those of the posterior medial root, but it can be injured in arthroscopic surgery or when a tibial tunnel is drilled, so its position is checked before instruments are placed.
Attachments and function
- Attaches from
- Anterior horn of the medial meniscus.
- Attaches to
- Front of the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia, anterior to the attachment of the ACL.
- Function
- Anchors the anterior horn of the medial meniscus so the meniscus can carry load as a hoop.
- Nerve supply
- Articular branches to the knee from the tibial, common fibular, femoral and obturator nerves.
- Blood supply
- Genicular branches of the popliteal artery, which supply the attachments of the meniscal horns.
Anthromica
See the anterior meniscotibial ligament (medial meniscus) where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
