Table of Contents
What movements does the knee joint allow?
The knee joint is a modified hinge joint (ginglymus). The active movements of the knee joint are described as flexion, extension, medial rotation and lateral rotation.
What is the function of the knee?
The knee is a hinge joint that is responsible for weight-bearing and movement. It consists of bones, meniscus, ligaments, and tendons. The knee is designed to fulfill a number of functions: support the body in an upright position without the need for muscles to work.
What kind of joint is the knee joint?
The knee joint is a hinge joint, meaning it allows the leg to extend and bend back and forth with minimal side-to-side motion. It is comprised of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and other tissues.
What supports the knee joint?
Two groups of muscles support the knee. They are: Hamstrings – muscles on the back of the thigh, which run from the hip to just below the knee and work to bend the knee. Quadriceps – four muscles on front of the thigh that run from the hip to the knee and straighten the knee from a bent position.
How does the knee joint work?
The knee is a hinge joint but it also has the ability to rotate slightly as it moves. The contraction of muscles at the front of the thigh (quadriceps) straightens the leg, while contraction of the muscles at the back of the thigh (hamstrings) allow the leg to bend at the knee.
How does a knee joint work?
When the knee is bent or stretched, the slightly wedge-shaped inner side of the kneecap, which is covered with articular (joint) cartilage, slides along a groove in the femur. The kneecap reduces the friction between the tendon and the bone, and it keeps the tendon from slipping sideways too.
What are the 3 knee joints?
The knee is a modified hinge joint, a type of synovial joint, which is composed of three functional compartments: the patellofemoral articulation, consisting of the patella, or “kneecap”, and the patellar groove on the front of the femur through which it slides; and the medial and lateral tibiofemoral articulations …
What is a knee joint?
The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. The knee joins the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). The smaller bone that runs alongside the tibia (fibula) and the kneecap (patella) are the other bones that make the knee joint.
What are the main stabilizers of the knee?
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a main stabilizer of the knee, providing both translational and rotatory constraint.
What are two important factors that contribute to the stability of the knee?
Naturally the ilio-tibial band, the lateral collateral ligament, the popliteus tendon, the biceps tendon, the postero-lateral capsule and the lateral head of gastrocnemius are all important factors contributing to stability.
What is the knee joint’s main function?
The knee joint’s main job is to bend, straighten , and bear the weight of the body, along with the ankles and hips . The knee is more than just a simple hinged joint. It can also twist and rotate.
What muscles are used in knee joint?
They are: Biceps femoris: This long muscle flexes the knee. Semimembranosus: This long muscle extends from the pelvis to the tibia. Semitendinosus: This muscle also extends the thigh and flexes the knee, but the tendons connecting it to the bone are much narrower than those of the semimembranosus.
What is the functional classification of the knee joint?
The knee is a modified hinge joint, a type of synovial joint, which is composed of three functional compartments: the patellofemoral articulation, consisting of the patella , or “kneecap”, and the patellar groove on the front of the femur through which it slides; and the medial and lateral tibiofemoral articulations linking the femur, or thigh bone,
What unlocks the knee joint for flexion?
The popliteus unlocks the knee joint so that flexion can occur. The other posterior leg muscles also play a role in helping flexion to take place at the knee joint. The popliteus , gracilis and sartorius , along with the semimembranosus, and semitendinosus muscles also allow for medial rotation at the joint.