Understanding
Your Knee
A Guide To It’s Key Parts
The Knee
Your knee is one of the most important joints in your body, helping you walk, run, and stay active. But with all the moving parts inside, it’s also vulnerable to injuries. Let’s break down the different parts of your knee and why each one matters.
The Femur (Thighbone)
The Tibia (Shinbone)
The Patella (Kneecap)
These bones come together at the knee joint, allowing your leg to bend and straighten. The articular cartilage, a smooth tissue, covers the ends of these bones and helps them move easily, reducing friction and absorbing shock when you walk or run.
Muscles and Tendons: Powering Your Knee
The muscles around your knee work like a team to make sure it can move smoothly. The quadriceps in the front help straighten your knee, while the hamstrings in the back help bend it. Tendons attach these muscles to your bones, like the patellar tendon, which connects your kneecap to your shinbone.
Ligaments :
The Knee’s Strong Support
Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that connect bones and help keep your knee stable. There are four major ligaments in your knee:
ACL and PCL: These are inside the knee and control forward and backward motion.
MCL and LCL: These control side-to-side movement.
You’ve probably heard of ACL tears. One of my patients, a young athlete, came in after twisting his knee during a soccer game. He couldn’t walk properly because his ACL was torn. After a detailed assessment, we opted for surgery to repair it, followed by a rehabilitation plan. In a few months, he was back on the field, stronger than ever!
Nerves and Blood Vessels: Keeping Your Knee Healthy
Nerves in your knee, like the tibial nerve, send signals to your brain, letting you feel sensations and control movement. Blood vessels, like the popliteal artery, bring blood to your knee, keeping the tissue healthy and functioning.
KNEE INJURIES
Click on each title to learn more:
ACL Injuries
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connecting shin bone to thigh bone, is one of the most commonly injured knee ligaments, especially during sports.
PCL Injuries
Located at the back of the knee, it connects the femur to the tibia, preventing your shin from moving too far backward.
Meniscus Tears
These pieces of cartilage act like shock absorbers, protecting your knee from the impact of everyday movements and helping to keep the joint stable.
Collateral Ligament Injuries
A common way these ligaments are injured is when the lower leg is forced to move sideways, either toward or away from the other knee.
Quadriceps or Patellar Tendon Injuries
During a fall onto a bent knee, your quadriceps muscle may contract so forcefully that it causes the tendon to rupture.
Patella Dislocation
When the patella is pulled out of this groove, outside of the knee, it results in a patella dislocation. Can with sudden change in direction
Runner's Knee
Causes pain around the front of the knee, especially for athletes who put a lot of stress on their knees.
Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendonitis)
This is a common condition that affects the tendon connecting the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone (tibia).
Bursitis
This is a common condition that occurs when small fluid-filled sacs called bursae become inflamed.
Chondromalacia Patella (Kneecap Pain)
The kneecap, or patella, normally glides smoothly up and down in a groove at the end of the thigh bone (femur).
Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD)
This is a condition where a small piece of cartilage and the underlying bone in a joint loses blood supply.