The Human Knee Joint: An Anatomical and Histological Study Using a Cadaveric Approach

The knee joint is a complicated synovial joint that plays an important role in locomotor function and weight-bearing capacity of the body. The current study reports on the structure of knee joint tissues of humans by macrodissection and by histology in order to demonstrate the gross anatomy and histological organization of bones, ligaments, menisci, bursae, blood supply, and innervation of the knee joint. In this study, the gross anatomy and histological structure of 24 human cadaveric knees of adults (17 males and 7 females aged between 24 and 65 years old) were studied with regard to patellar measurements, arrangement of ligamentous and capsular fibers, and zonal organization of hyaline and fibrocartilaginous tissues. The study report is provided only in descriptive terms because no inferential statistical analyses are provided in the study record supplied.