The meniscus is a triangle-shaped structure located within the knee joint. It is made up of fibrocartilage and composed primarily of water. Its function is to lubricate the knee joint, reducing friction. Fibrocartilage is softer and more pliable...
Once a bone has been broken the body's first response is called induction. When a bone breaks, the blood vessels inside of it also get severed. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery notes that this causes blood to quickly seep into the nearby...
A joint is a connection between two bones. Joints are essential for flexibility, movement and shock absorption. Although most people think of joints as bending like a hinge, there are many different types of joints. Joints are classified by the...
Injuries due to exercise and wear-and-tear can affect hyaline, or articular, cartilage, causing swelling, pain and stiffness. The resulting discomfort makes you acutely aware of how important it is for getting around. The two other types of...
Arthritis is inflammation of the joints ("arthro" means joint, "-itis" means inflammation) that is usually brought about by the loss of articular cartilage. There are two main types of arthritis. The first and more common type is osteoarthritis...
Protein serves as the basic structural molecule of all tissues in your body. Approximately one quarter of all the protein in your body is collagen. Collagen is the main protein found in connective tissue. Cartilage is one type of connective tissue...
The meniscus is a crescent-shaped disk of fibrocartilage that is found in your knee joint. Each knee has two menisci: the lateral and medial. They are located between the ends of the upper leg bone and lower leg bone of the knee joint. These...
The acetabular labrum is a ring of fibrocartilage that links to the outer edge of the hip. The main function of the hip labrum is to enhance joint stability by providing extra structural support. This added reinforcement is specifically given to...
The medical term for fluid in the knee is called effusion. It describes the presence of, usually, an abnormally large amount of fluid within a joint, typically, but not limited to, the knee. Joints in the body are nourished to a large extent by...
The average adult has about 216 bones forming the support structures of his body. Muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as your nervous system, provide the movement of the skeleton. Among all of these bones, three major bone structures are...
A joint is a site where two bones of the body connect. Joints can be mobile or immobile. Continuous joints are relatively immobile joints wherein different types of rigid connecting tissues join two bones. These joints provide skeletal stability...
Epididymitis refers to pain and inflammation of the epididymus, which is a tubular structure on the posterior of the male testicles. It most often occurs due to an infection and can present with a wide variety of symptoms including pain in the low...
Yoga and tai-chi are ancient practices meant to balance body, mind and spirit. When done in alignment, both offer many health benefits that include strengthening your knees. According to MayoClinic.com, weak muscles are a leading cause of knee...
Jogging will tone the muscles in your legs, burn a truckload of calories and move your cardiovascular fitness to a new level. These benefits come fairly quickly after you take up jogging, but they don't come cheap. Chances are virtually 100...
Your hip, being the site of attachment of a host of muscles and tendons from both above and below, experiences a great deal of biomechanical stress during running. Overuse injuries such as bursitis and stress fractures are common, but acute...
The type of rehab exercise for a lateral meniscus injury depends on the severity of the injury, the age of the individual and his or her ability to recuperate from physical afflictions. The goal of rehabilitation exercises is to restore the...
Joints are points in the human body where two bones come together. There are three major types of joints in the body, each serving a different function. Fibrous joints are largely immovable to provide stability; cartilaginous joints are slightly...
Although it is generally thought that a meniscus tear is an injury that happens only to athletes, anyone can tear cartilage in the knee joint. The cause of the tear, however, is more likely related to physical trauma in people under age 45, such...
According to "Anatomy and Human Movement: Structure and Function," the inter-vertebral disc is an essential component of the structure of the human spine. There are at least 24 discs in the human spine with six in the cervical spine, 12 in the...
The meniscus is a flexible crescent of fibrocartilage that serves as the surface that limits bone-to-bone friction. This tissue preserves the life of the knee joint; a tear causes pain and inflammation of the knee. New research in the January 2011...
The most common type of tear in the UT, or ulnotriquetral, ligament is a lengthwise tearing of the ligament, which leaves the ends of the ligament intact and holding the bones in the wrist together, but causes severe lack of strength and stability...
Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance that helps create a tough form of connective tissue called cartilage in joints throughout your body. Your doctor may recommend supplemental forms of glucosamine to treat arthritis in your knees or...
Your lumbar spine is the lower portion of your vertebral column, located in your lower back, just above your sacrum and tailbone. Spinal disks are located between your vertebrae and help your spine absorb force. According to the Spine Universe...
Meniscus tears are one of the most common causes of knee pain and instability. Traumatic tears may happen playing sports, while degenerative tears happen slowly over time. Severe or unstable tears require surgery. While it is possible to...
The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of fibrocartilage that acts like a cushion between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (shin bone). It is wedge-shaped, such that it is larger on the outer rim of the meniscus and tapers towards the inner rim. There...
The hip provides the area of attachment for muscles of the back, abdomen, gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, and inner and outer thigh muscles. With the assortment of tendons and a strong ligament involved with these muscle groups, the hip joint is...
Author Andrew Biel notes in "The Trail Guides to the Body", that a pivot joint allows one bone to rotate around another. The first and second cervical vertebrae pivot to allow neck movement from side to side, and the ulna and radius in the forearm...
