The main structures of the knee joint include bony structures, bony joints, etc.
1. Bone structure: The knee consists of the lower end of the femur, the upper end of the tibia and the patella.
2. Bone links: The bone links of the knee include cartilage links, i.e. meniscus and ligaments. The meniscus is a fibrous cartilaginous plate between the articular surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles of the femur and the medial and lateral condyles of the tibia. It consists of a larger medial meniscus in the shape of a C and a smaller lateral meniscus in the shape of an O. It supports the rotation of the knee. The meniscus assists in the rotation, flexion, extension, and weight-bearing functions of the knee.
Ligaments, including the patellar ligament, tibial collateral ligament, fibular collateral ligament, and two cruciate ligaments, maintain the stability of the knee joint.
The bony structures of the knee joint and the bony links work together, and if any of the bony structures, ligaments, menisci, etc. are faulty, dysfunction or deformity of the knee joint may occur.