In this article I shall elaborate mainly on the tendons of the knee. The tendons of the knee form an intricate network that helps in proper movement of knee joints. Along with this, the ligaments and bones play a key role to bring out proper muscular coordination. With age, the tendons gradually lose strength and become brittle. The elasticity is also reduced causing terrible knee pain. This condition is often faced by middle aged people and the medical terminology for inflammation of knees is known as knee tendonitis.
Let's come back to the subject matter, i.e tendons of the knee. The anatomy of knee is very complex, being the largest joint of the body. Ligaments (get the details of ligaments of the knee) and tendons in the knee form the connecting junctions of bones to bones or bones to muscle. There are four major ligaments present in the knee joints. They are
* Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
* Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
* Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
* Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)
These three joints help in connecting either the interior (MCL, LCL) or the exterior (ACL, PCL) portions of the bones, which are of three types, the femur, patella and tibia. Muscles and tendons in the knee are interconnected with each other. Muscles surround the joints and are divided into three categories, namely the sartorius, the quadriceps and the patella. Contraction of knee is brought about by the hamstring muscles. Tendons are present at the end of muscles providing attachment with the bones. While describing the anatomy of a knee, we cannot miss out the cartilage tissues. The two types of cartilage present inside our knees are fibrocartilage and articular cartilage. Fibrocartilage, also known as meniscus makes the knees more congruent and offers protection from shock and injuries. Articular cartilage reduces friction between bones during movement. The structure of tendons shall be explained in following segment.
Tendons in the Knee: An Overview
As we have already said that tendons in the knee play an important role in connecting the muscles to the bones. The structure of tendons have been divided into 4 types. The four different types of tendons carry out specific functions. Described below are the different types of tendons.
Quadriceps Tendon
Attachment of the four quadriceps muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris) to the patella is brought about by the quadriceps tendon. Quadriceps help in extension of knee muscles. It's also a fact that quadriceps tendons are most vulnerable to tendonitis giving rise to a sprained knee.
Patellar Tendon
Patellar tendon is also known as patellar ligament since it is present between two bones. Patellar tendon provides attachment of tibia with the patella through the tibial tubercle. The average width of patellar tendon is 30 mm wide. It completes the attachment of quadriceps to lower legs quite effectively. Patellar tendonitis is very common among athletes.
Illiotibial Band
As the name suggests, this is a very long tendon that attaches tensor fascia latae muscle (TFL) to the knee, preferably on the lateral side. TFL provides medial rotation of the tibia. It's also known as hip abductor. Extension or flexing of knee pushes the muscle above the illiotibial band on the top of the fibula. Tightness of this tendon causes knee irritation and inflammation. Injury of illiotibial band is known as friction syndrome.
Hamstring Tendon
The last part of the knee tendon is known as hamstring tendon, running posterior portion of the thigh. Hamstring tendons are also known as knee flexors. Hamstring tendonitis, because of its position, is more often injured while swimming, playing badminton, basketball, tennis and soccer. It is present at the juncture of tibia and fibula running along the lateral and medial sides of the knee.
Knee Tendonitis: An Overview
Sports persons are always on the higher risk of developing knee tendonitis. Inflammation of knee muscles is a very painful condition that restricts movement of knees for time being. The joints swell causing redness (get some more info on knee pain causes). A sharp pain is experienced while trying to bend the knee, i.e while descending or ascending on stairs. Home remedies are carried out with ice compress and light physiotherapy exercises for knee pain. An X-ray is always suggested to know the intensity of the injury. Pain killers and treatment considerably subside the pain.
I hope the framework and structure of the tendons in the knee is now clear to you. However, if you are regularly engaged into sportive activities, be a little careful while performing the moves in order to avoid injury.
Let's come back to the subject matter, i.e tendons of the knee. The anatomy of knee is very complex, being the largest joint of the body. Ligaments (get the details of ligaments of the knee) and tendons in the knee form the connecting junctions of bones to bones or bones to muscle. There are four major ligaments present in the knee joints. They are
* Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
* Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
* Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
* Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)
These three joints help in connecting either the interior (MCL, LCL) or the exterior (ACL, PCL) portions of the bones, which are of three types, the femur, patella and tibia. Muscles and tendons in the knee are interconnected with each other. Muscles surround the joints and are divided into three categories, namely the sartorius, the quadriceps and the patella. Contraction of knee is brought about by the hamstring muscles. Tendons are present at the end of muscles providing attachment with the bones. While describing the anatomy of a knee, we cannot miss out the cartilage tissues. The two types of cartilage present inside our knees are fibrocartilage and articular cartilage. Fibrocartilage, also known as meniscus makes the knees more congruent and offers protection from shock and injuries. Articular cartilage reduces friction between bones during movement. The structure of tendons shall be explained in following segment.
Tendons in the Knee: An Overview
As we have already said that tendons in the knee play an important role in connecting the muscles to the bones. The structure of tendons have been divided into 4 types. The four different types of tendons carry out specific functions. Described below are the different types of tendons.
Quadriceps Tendon
Attachment of the four quadriceps muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris) to the patella is brought about by the quadriceps tendon. Quadriceps help in extension of knee muscles. It's also a fact that quadriceps tendons are most vulnerable to tendonitis giving rise to a sprained knee.
Patellar Tendon
Patellar tendon is also known as patellar ligament since it is present between two bones. Patellar tendon provides attachment of tibia with the patella through the tibial tubercle. The average width of patellar tendon is 30 mm wide. It completes the attachment of quadriceps to lower legs quite effectively. Patellar tendonitis is very common among athletes.
Illiotibial Band
As the name suggests, this is a very long tendon that attaches tensor fascia latae muscle (TFL) to the knee, preferably on the lateral side. TFL provides medial rotation of the tibia. It's also known as hip abductor. Extension or flexing of knee pushes the muscle above the illiotibial band on the top of the fibula. Tightness of this tendon causes knee irritation and inflammation. Injury of illiotibial band is known as friction syndrome.
Hamstring Tendon
The last part of the knee tendon is known as hamstring tendon, running posterior portion of the thigh. Hamstring tendons are also known as knee flexors. Hamstring tendonitis, because of its position, is more often injured while swimming, playing badminton, basketball, tennis and soccer. It is present at the juncture of tibia and fibula running along the lateral and medial sides of the knee.
Knee Tendonitis: An Overview
Sports persons are always on the higher risk of developing knee tendonitis. Inflammation of knee muscles is a very painful condition that restricts movement of knees for time being. The joints swell causing redness (get some more info on knee pain causes). A sharp pain is experienced while trying to bend the knee, i.e while descending or ascending on stairs. Home remedies are carried out with ice compress and light physiotherapy exercises for knee pain. An X-ray is always suggested to know the intensity of the injury. Pain killers and treatment considerably subside the pain.
I hope the framework and structure of the tendons in the knee is now clear to you. However, if you are regularly engaged into sportive activities, be a little careful while performing the moves in order to avoid injury.
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