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[Joints and ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/system/joints-and-ligaments/) · [Lower limb](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/lower-limb/)

# Meniscopatellar ligament

The meniscopatellar ligaments are thin bands at the front of the knee running from the sides of the kneecap down to the menisci.

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## What it is

A thin band from the kneecap to the menisci.

## What it does

Links the kneecap to the menisci as the knee moves.

## Key points

- Capsular thickenings on each side of the patella, running down to the anterior horns of the menisci
- By pulling the anterior horns forward as the knee straightens, they help keep the menisci from being pinched between [femur](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/femur/) and tibia
- The medial one (medial patellomeniscal ligament) is a secondary restraint to lateral patellar displacement, after the [MPFL](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/medial-patellofemoral-ligament/)

## Key facts

**Attaches**
Medial and lateral borders of patella to anterior horns of the menisci; thickening of retinaculum and capsule

**Function**
Draws menisci forward with the patella during knee extension

**Tight in**
Knee extension

## Relations

**Superficial**
[Medial retinaculum](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/medial-patellar-retinaculum/) and [lateral retinaculum](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-patellar-retinaculum/) of the [patella](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/patella/)

**Deep**
[Infrapatellar fat pad](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/infrapatellar-fat-pad/) and synovium

**Below**
Anterior horns of the menisci and, close by, the patellotibial fibres going to the [tibia](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tibia/)

## How to find it

Not felt as a separate band: it lies in the lower part of the patellar retinaculum on each side of the patella, below the level of the MPFL, running down and back toward the joint line.

## Examination

- Patellar apprehension test: pushing the patella laterally with the knee slightly bent causes guarding or fear when the medial restraints (MPFL and medial patellomeniscal ligament) are torn or lax

## On imaging

MRI shows it as a thin low-signal band from the lower patellar border to the anterior horn of the meniscus; after a lateral patellar dislocation, axial images may show it torn along with the MPFL.

## Clinical notes

- The medial patellomeniscal ligament can tear together with the MPFL in a lateral patellar dislocation
- Some patellar stabilization techniques reconstruct the medial patellotibial or patellomeniscal fibres as well as the MPFL

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What does the meniscopatellar ligament connect?

The medial and lateral borders of the patella to the anterior horns of the menisci; it is a thickening of the retinaculum and capsule.

## How does the meniscopatellar ligament protect the menisci during knee extension?

It pulls the anterior horns forward with the patella, so the menisci are not pinched between femur and tibia.

## What role does the medial patellomeniscal ligament play in patellar stability?

It is a secondary restraint to lateral patellar displacement after the MPFL, and can tear with it in a lateral dislocation.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
ligamentum meniscopatellare TA2 1904

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Ligamento meniscorrotuliano

**English (TA2)**
Meniscopatellar ligament

## Related

- [Femur](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/femur/)
- [Patella](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/patella/)
- [Tibia](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tibia/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Medial Meniscus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537276/); [Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Knee Lateral Meniscus](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519494/); [9.6 Anatomy of Selected Synovial Joints](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/9-6-anatomy-of-selected-synovial-joints) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/meniscopatellar-ligament/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/meniscopatellar-ligament/