The knees have always been a problem for a lot of people.  Especially if you are involved with sports, the knee can be a very vulnerable area.  I had a friend who tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in an indoor soccer game one time.  I too have had knee problems of my own, once tearing my posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and my meniscus.  No wonder athletes always injure their knees, have you ever seen a 300+ lbs. lineman’s knee in football get sideswiped and snap under all that pressure?  It is one of them most horrific sights to see.  But not all people who get knee injuries are athletes; there are people who are over weight, and people who aren’t over weight.  There are a lot of people who injure their knees in car wrecks, or just my jumping over a fence and landing wrong.  No matter who you are, it is important for us to learn the anatomy of the knee.  What’s in there?

The two biggest bones are connected at the knee, the femur (thigh) and the tibia (shin).  These bones meet up a hinge, and that hinge is made up of Ligaments, Cartilage, fluid, and bone.  All of this makes of your knee joint.  Let’s break these parts down one by one.

Patella – The patella is also known as your kneecap, it is attached to the quadriceps tendon and moves when the knee is either flexed or extended.

Meniscus – Also known as meniscal cartilage, it is the cartilage that acts as the protector between the two large bones, preventing the grinding of the bones.

Bursa – Is a little sac filled with fluid that helps the muscles and the tendons slide freely

ACL – The ACL is a knee stabilizer; it runs down the center of your knee and prevents the femur from sliding backwards on the tibia, or the tibia sliding forwards on the femur.  This is a very common ligament to injure, and surgeons usually do a very good job at repairing it.

PCL – The PCL is also a knee stabilizer; it prevents the femur from sliding forward on the tibia or the tibia sliding backwards on the femur.  To injure this ligament is not as common as the ACL, and harder to repair.  Many people who are driving in car accidents actually can tear this ligament; because our first reaction is extend our knee to the bottom of the floorboard, causing the PCL to tear on impact.

Collateral Ligaments – The ligaments run down he sides of your knee, to help prevent sideways motion.