The coronary ligaments of the knee (also known as meniscotibial ligaments) are portions of the joint capsule which connect the inferior edges of the fibrocartilaginous menisci to the periphery of the

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

l plateaus.

Structure

The coronary ligaments of the knee are continuous with the joint capsule and the menisci.

Function

The coronary ligaments function to connect parts of the outside, inferior edges of the medial and lateral menisci to the joint capsule of the knee. The

medial meniscus The medial meniscus is a fibrocartilage semicircular band that spans the knee joint medially, located between the medial condyle of the femur and the medial condyle of the tibia.Platzer (2004), p 208 It is also referred to as the internal semi ...

also has firm attachments laterally to the ''intercondylar area of the tibia'' and medially to the

tibial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. Its primary function is to resist outw ...

. The

lateral meniscus The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circula ...

has firm attachments medially to the intercondylar area via the ends of the meniscus, and posteromedially via the

posterior meniscofemoral ligament The Posterior meniscofemoral ligament (also known as the ligament of Wrisberg) is a small fibrous band of the knee joint. It attaches to the posterior area of the lateral meniscus and crosses superiorly and medially behind the posterior cruciate l ...

, which attaches the posterior limb of the meniscus to the

posterior cruciate ligament The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is a ligament in each knee of humans and various other animals. It works as a counterpart to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial cond ...

and medial femoral condyle. The lateral meniscus is not directly connected to the fibular collateral ligament, and is thus more movable than the medial meniscus.

Additional images

File:Gray350.png, Sagittal section of right knee. Coronary ligament not labeled, but visible as connective tissue joining the wedge-shaped meniscus inferiorly to the perimeter of the tibial plateau.

References/External links

* ''Gray, Henry. Anatomy of the Human Body.'' Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1918; Bartleby.com, 2000
7b. The Knee
* Moore, Keith L. and Arthur F. Dalley. ''Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th ed.'' (2006) p688-693.
Lateral Meniscus - Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics

Medial Meniscus - Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics

References

Knee ligaments {{ligament-stub