Acute injuries affecting the knee joint cause considerable disability and time off sport. They are common in all sports that require twisting movements and sudden changes of direction, especially the various football codes, basketball, netball and alpine skiing.

Functional Anatomy 

The knee contains two joints: the tibiofemoral joint with its associated collateral ligaments, cruciate ligaments and menisci; and the patellofemoral joint, which obtains stability from the medial retinaculum and the large patellar tendon passing anteriorly over the patella. In this book, the tibiofemoral joint is referred to as the knee joint. 

It is important to understand the role of the different ligaments and menisci in the knee joint in order to understand better the mechanisms of injury and the likely consequences of those injuries