Meniscus cartilage

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

The meniscus cartilage or 'semi-lunar' cartilage is the shock absorber of the knee, sandwiched between the thighbone and shinbone.

knee joint showing the meniscusA crescentic meniscus sits between the tibia and the rounded end of the femur on either side of the joint.

Terminology issue

The correct name is 'meniscus', but unfortunately sportspeople persist in talking about the 'cartilage' when in fact they mean the meniscus. This can cause confusion with the white gristle that covers the ends of bones, which is also called cartilage (hyaline cartilage, joint cartilage or articular cartilage).