Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The relationship between the medial collateral ligament and the medial meniscus: a topographical and biomechanical study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The functional influence of the medial collateral ligament on the medial meniscus is still discussed controversially. Commonly, a strong fixation of the meniscus by the collateral ligament is described. Injury to the medial meniscus is explained by its reduced mobility due to its strong adherence to the medial collateral ligament. The analysis of 10 plastinated series of the medial femorotibial compartment prove that only few fibres of the ligament radiate into the meniscus. To define the possible contribution of these fibers to the stability of the medial meniscus, experiments on two fresh frozen knee joints were performed. The distal femur was separated by cutting the capsule. The medial collateral ligament was detached carefully from its femoral insertion. The tibial head with both menisci was fixed in a clamping system. A translucent, exact acrylic glass copy of the femoral component to which the medial collateral ligament was reinserted, allowed studying the behaviour of the medial meniscus under axial compression (500 N). Firstly, stress was applied while the collateral ligament was proximally fixed and under tension; then the same experiment was performed after femoral detachment of collateral ligament. All plastinated series revealed only some deep and tender fibrous bundles of the medial collateral ligament radiating into the medial meniscus proximally and posteriorly. The behaviour of medial meniscus was exactly the same in both stress experiment series. The conclusion is that there is no relevant influence of the medial collateral ligament on the stability of the medial meniscus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Baratz ME, Fu FH, Mengato R (1986) Meniscal tears: the effect of meniscectomy and of repair on intraarticular contact areas and stress in the human knee. A preliminary report. Am J Sports Med 14(4):270–275

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brantigan OC, Voshell AF (1943) The tibial collateral ligament: its function, its bursae and its relation to the medial meniscus. J Bone Joint Surg Am 25(1):121–131

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bullough PG, Munuera L, Murphy J, Weinstein AM (1970) The strength of the menisci of the knee as it relates to their fine structure. J Bone Joint Surg Br 52(3):564–567

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fukubayashi T, Torzilli PA, Sherman MF, Warren RF (1982) An in vitro biomechanical evaluation of anterior–posterior motion of the knee. Tibial displacement, rotation, and torque. J Bone Joint Surg Am 64(2):258–264

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Griffith CJ, LaPrade RF, Johansen S, Armitage B, Wijdicks C, Engebretsen L (2009) Medial knee injury: Part 1, static function of the individual components of the main medial knee structures. Am J Sports Med 37(9):1762–1770. doi:10.1177/0363546509333852

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hunter DJ, Zhang YQ, Niu JB, Tu X, Amin S, Clancy M, Guermazi A, Grigorian M, Gale D, Felson DT (2006) The association of meniscal pathologic changes with cartilage loss in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Arthr Rheum 54(3):795–801. doi:10.1002/art.21724

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kurosawa H, Fukubayashi T, Nakajima H (1980) Load-bearing mode of the knee joint: physical behavior of the knee joint with or without menisci. Clin Orthop Relat Res (149):283–290

  8. Markolf KL, Bargar WL, Shoemaker SC, Amstutz HC (1981) The role of joint load in knee stability. J Bone Joint Surg Am 63(4):570–585

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Markolf KL, Mensch JS, Amstutz HC (1976) Stiffness and laxity of the knee—the contributions of the supporting structures. A quantitative in vitro study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 58(5):583–594

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Masouros SD, McDermott ID, Amis AA, Bull AM (2008) Biomechanics of the meniscus-meniscal ligament construct of the knee. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 16(12):1121–1132. doi:10.1007/s00167-008-0616-9

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Robinson JR, Bull AM, Amis AA (2005) Structural properties of the medial collateral ligament complex of the human knee. J Biomech 38(5):1067–1074. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2004.05.034

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Robinson JR, Sanchez-Ballester J, Bull AM, Thomas Rde W, Amis AA (2004) The posteromedial corner revisited. An anatomical description of the passive restraining structures of the medial aspect of the human knee. J Bone Joint Surg Br 86(5):674–681

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Roos EM (2005) Joint injury causes knee osteoarthritis in young adults. Curr Opin Rheumatol 17(2):195–200. doi:00002281-200503000-00016[pii]

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Roos H, Adalberth T, Dahlberg L, Lohmander LS (1995) Osteoarthritis of the knee after injury to the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus: the influence of time and age. Osteoarthr Cartil 3(4):261–267

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Seedhom BB (1976) Loadbearing function of the menisci. Physiotherapy 62(7):223

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Voloshin AS, Wosk J (1983) Shock absorption of meniscectomized and painful knees: a comparative in vivo study. J Biomed Eng 5(2):157–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. von Hagens G (1979) Impregnation of soft biological specimens with thermosetting resins and elastomers. Anat Rec 194(2):247–255. doi:10.1002/ar.1091940206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Wagner HJ (1976) Architecture of collagen fibers in the meniscus of the human knee joint, with special reference to the medial meniscus and its connection to the articular ligaments. Z Mikrosk Anat Forsch 90(2):302–324

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Uniklinik Köln, Klinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, Kerpener Str. 62, 50931, Cologne, Germany

    Gregor Stein, Christoph Faymonville, Jens Dargel, Lars Peter Müller & Gereon Schiffer

  2. Universität zu Köln, Zentrum Anatomie, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50931, Cologne, Germany

    Gregor Stein & Juergen Koebke

Authors
  1. Gregor Stein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Juergen Koebke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Christoph Faymonville
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jens Dargel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lars Peter Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Gereon Schiffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregor Stein.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stein, G., Koebke, J., Faymonville, C. et al. The relationship between the medial collateral ligament and the medial meniscus: a topographical and biomechanical study. Surg Radiol Anat 33, 763–766 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0814-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0814-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation