Knee vocabulary Flashcards
Femur
the bone of the thigh or upper hind limb, articulating at the hip and the knee.
Fibula
the outer and usually smaller of the two bones between the knee and the ankle in humans (or the equivalent joints in other terrestrial vertebrates), parallel with the tibia.
Tibia
The tibia is the shinbone, the larger of the two bones in the lower leg
patella
the kneecap.
sesamoid
a small independent bone or bony nodule developed in a tendon where it passes over an angular structure, typically in the hands and feet. The kneecap is a particularly large sesamoid bone
MCL
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) runs from the inside surface of the upper shin bone to the inner surface of the bottom thigh bone. This ligament keeps your shin bone (tibia) in place.
LCL
The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is on the outer side of your knee and runs from the top part of the fibula (the bone on the outside of the lower leg) to the outside part of the lower thigh bone. The ligament helps keep the outer side of your knee joint stable.
ACL
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the key ligaments that help stabilize the knee joint. The ACL connects the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia)
PCL
The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is the strongest ligament in the knee. It extends from the top-rear surface of the tibia (bone between the knee and ankle) to the bottom-front surface of the femur (bone that extends from the pelvis to the knee).
Quadricep Muscles
the rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus intermedius, and the vastus medialis
Hamstring muscles
Semitendinosus.
Semimembranosus.
Biceps femoris.
Subluxation
a partial dislocation.
dislocation
a separation of two bones where they meet at a joint.
Dashboard Injury
If you were involved in a car crash, one or both knees may have struck the dashboard. That can cause a painful injury to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).
Meniscus
a C-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a cushion between the shinbone (tibia) and thighbone (femur).
