Anatomy- Knee

The knee joint is the most complicated joint in the human body. It consists of two condylar joints between the medial and lateral condyles of the Femur and the condyles of the Tibia and a gliding joint between the Patella and the patellar surface of the femur.

The joint between the femur and tibia is a synovial joint of the hinge variety. The joint between the patella and femur is a synovial joint of the plain gliding variety.

We have two major divisions of the distal articular surface: the patellar and the tibial ones. The patellar surface has a groove along its long axis. It is separated from the tibial surfaces by two grooves.

The tibial surface is divided into medial and lateral parts. Anteriorly the tibial surfaces are continuous with the patellar surface, but posteriorly they are separated by the intercondylar fossa.

Humphry ligament- originates from the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus and inserts onto the lateral aspect of the posterior medial femoral condyle.

Wrisberg ligament- is coursing downward from the medial femoral condyle to attach to the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus.

Hoffa's Syndrome- Fat pad impingement.

Articular cartilage- the material that covers the ends of the bones of any joint. It allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. It can also absorb shock and provide an extremely smooth surface to facilitate motion.

The knee joint consists of two articulations: tibiofemoral and patellofemoral. The joint surfaces are lined with hyaline cartilage and are enclosed with a single joint cavity.

The anterior aspect of the distal femur articulates with the patella. It allows the tendon of the quadriceps femoris (knee extensor) to be inserted directly over the knee – increasing the efficiency of the muscle.

The patella glides through a unique groove formed by the two femoral condyles, the patellofemoral groove.

The medial and lateral menisci are fibrocartilage structures in the knee that serve two functions: To deepen the articular surface of the tibia, thus increasing the joint's stability. To act as shock absorbers by increasing surface area to further dissipate forces.

Ligaments- we have six crucial ligaments in the knee joint: the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, the lateral meniscus, the medial meniscus, the lateral collateral ligament and the medial collateral ligament.

Tendons of QF join distally and form strong quadriceps tendon.

QT is continued with the patellar ligament.

The medial and lateral vasti muscles also attach independently to the patella and form aponeuroses, the medial and lateral patellar retinacula.