Knee Joint

The knee joints the femur and tibia bones of human body. It is very important joint as it supports the entire weight of the body as well as accepts and transfers the biomechanical load between the femur, tibia, patella and fibula bones.

The knee joint is one of the complex joints of the human body. There are a lot of chances of getting it injured.

The structure of the knee joint:

There is a slight rotational part, which is responsible for this movement; it is recognized within last 50 years. This component is responsible for a lot of injuries.

There are two types of knee muscles go across the knee: quadriceps and hamstrings. The front muscles are called quadriceps and back muscles are called hamstrings. The ligament holds the bones in the knee joint together that is the reason it is so important part of the knee joint.

The structure made with meniscus or meniscal cartilage is also associated with the knee joints. The C-shaped tissue, which fits between the femur and tibia, is called meniscus that protects the joint and allows the free movement of bones. There is a little fluid sac that is called bursa; it helps the muscles and tendons to move freely with the movement of the knee.

The knee joint is constructed with four bones: the femur is the largest bone; it is attached to the tibia with the help of ligaments and a capsule. The parallel bone to the tibia is called fibula, it resides just below the tibia bone. The patella bone forms the kneecap; it rides on the knee joint when the knee bends. The scientific terms for knee movement are: flex and extend. Flex means to bend and extend means to straighten.

The cruciate ligament:

In addition to the ligament there are two types of cruciate ligaments associated with the knee joint. The cruciate ligaments are located in the center of the knee, which acts as major stabilizing ligaments. There are two types of cruciate ligaments: the anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. These cruciate ligaments protect the femur and tibia bones from sliding on each other. Both these ligaments help the knee to stabilize in a rotational movement. If one of these ligament damaged it will make the knee unstable.

The strong and flexible muscle helps the knee function well. The smooth meniscal cartilage, articular cartilage, and ligaments make the knee function smoothly.

The knee joint is among one of the important and sensible joints of the body. It can flex to 135 degree and extends to 0 degree. It is a weight bearing joint. One must protect the knee from injury and eat a healthy and nourishing food full of minerals and calcium to strengthen the knee.