The articular cartilage is the cartilage that lines your joint surface. This cartilage allows the joints to move smoothly through the normal range of motion. In the knee, there is cartilage on the underside of the kneecap (patella) and where the kneecap rides on the femur (trochlea), on the ends of the femur (medial and lateral femoral condyle), and on the tibia (tibial plateau). This cartilage is different than the other cartilage in the knee, the meniscus, which are the cartilage rings inside the knee joint.

• Patient Guide to Articular Cartilage Injury (1.1Mb)

© Orthopaedic Specialists, Bryn Mawr, PA. May not be reproduced without the author’s permission. Images by MedImagery.net.