Knee Joint and muscles

The Knee Joint

• largest and superficial most joint of the body
• hinge joint
• allows flexion and extension but can also do gliding, rolling and rotation about a vertical axis.
• contains 3 articulations : 2 femorotibial articulation* and 1 femoropatellar articulation.
• fibula is not involved in the knee joint
• stability of the knee joint depends on the strength and action of surrounding muscles and their tendons , and ligaments that connect the femur and tibia.

Muscles that have attachments to the knee joint.

gracilis- Adducts thighs, flexes leg, helps rotate leg medially

gluteus maximus- extends thigh and assists in lateral rotation, steadies thigh and assist in rising from sitting position

tensor of fascia lata,-abduct and medially rotate thighs

semitendinous,semimembranous, - extends thigh, flex leg and rotate it medially when knee is flexed

biceps femoris- flex leg and rotate it laterally when knee is flexed

tibialis anterior, - dorsiflexes ankles and inverts foot

extensor digitorum longus,- extends lateral four digits and dorsiflexes ankle

quadriceps femoris -extends the leg at knee joint

I’ll describe the proximal and distal attachments of the muscles and the clinical relevance as planned as lincoln = )