Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnatomyFunctionAssociated ConditionsTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anatomy
Function
Associated Conditions
Treatment
The medial (inner) compartment is an extremely significant part of theknee joint. Along with the lateral (outer) and patellofemoral (behind the kneecap) compartments, this area plays an influential role in your ability to do everyday activities like standing and walking. Many important structures are contained in this inner area.
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The medial compartment of the knee includes everything within the inner half of the joint and is located where the tibia (shinbone) and femur (thigh bone) meet. The rounded end of the femur bone (medial femoral condyle) sits on a flattened area of the tibia bone called the medial tibial plateau.
In between the two bones lies a C-shaped piece of cartilage called the meniscus. Along with a similar section of the meniscus in the lateral compartment, this important structure helps absorb forces and spread them throughout the knee.
The ends of the femur and the tibia are also coated with a thin, shock-absorbing structure called articular cartilage. Both the meniscus and the articular cartilage provide crucial protection to the knee and allow the femur and tibia bones to smoothly slide on one another.
Surrounding the two bones is the joint capsule, which serves two purposes:
Muscles in the Medial Compartment
There are several different muscles that attach above or below the medial compartment of the knee. They include:
Ligaments in the Medial Compartment
Multiple stabilizing ligaments also are present in the medial compartment of the knee. They include:
Each of the anatomical structures in the medial compartment plays an important role:
The ligaments and capsule add stability to the joint and help prevent excessive movement. The individual ligaments and function include:
Because of the plethora of structures in the medial compartment, there are multiple different conditions that can affect this area. These include:
Treatment options vary based on each situation but can include:
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The Foundation for the Advancement in Research in Medicine.About the knee joint.
Wu X-D, Yu J-H, Zou T, et al.Anatomical characteristics and biomechanical properties of the oblique popliteal ligament.Science Reports. 2017;7. doi:10.1038/srep42698
Krebs C, Tranovich M, Andrews K, Ebraheim N.The medial patellofemoral ligament: Review of the literature.Journal of Orthopaedics. 2018;15(2):596-599. doi:10.1016/j.jor.2018.05.004
Jones RK, Chapman GJ, Findlow AH, et al.A new approach to prevention of knee osteoarthritis: reducing medial load in the contralateral knee.The Journal of Rheumatology. 2013;40(3):309-315. doi:10.3899/jrheum.120589
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Meniscus tears.
Michigan Medicine.Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury.
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