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Anterior horn

The words 'anterior horn' refer to the anterior horn of the meniscus. The meniscus is the medical term for the 'knee cartilage - those wedge-shaped semi-circular shock absorbers which sit between the thighbone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia). The anterior horn of the meniscus is the curved bit of at the front of the meniscus. The bit at the back is called the 'posterior horn' of the meniscus.

Anterior horn tears:

• are less common than tears of the posterior horn and middle area
• are frequently falsely diagnosed by MRI scan
• may be dislocations rather than tears, ie although the meniscus itself is intact, it has ripped away from the bone
• may be missed during arthroscopy
• may be challenging to repair