Your Knee
The knee joint is a complex structure designed to allow normal function whilst withstanding the huge stresses we put through it during everyday activities and sport. The main weight bearing part of the joint is formed between the two rounded ‘condyles’ on the end of the femur (the thigh bone) and the flatter top surface of the tibia (the shin bone ).
The kneecap (patella) is situated at the front of the knee and is shaped to sit and glide in the groove on the front of the femur (trochlea). The patella acts as a pulley, improving the efficiency of the quadriceps muscle on the front of the thigh. |
Articular (hyaline) Cartilage:
This cartilage covers the ends of all bones in the body where they form mobile joints. It has a very smooth surface, keeping friction to a minimum during movement. If you look at an X-ray of the knee, it appears that there is a space between the bones – this is because an X-ray will only show bone – the apparent space is in fact occupied by the articular cartilage covering the surface of both bones and the meniscal cartilages. The joint space should look even however, in advanced stages of arthritis, the space becomes narrowed and irregular as the quality and depth of cartilage is reduced and the menisci degenerate.
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| normal knee |
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reduced joint space |
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