KNEE JOINT

SUMMARY

ARTICULATIONS
1. Largest synovial joint in the body.
2. Articulations - tibiofemoral joint (hinge joint with 2 compartments) & patellofemoral joint (sesamoid pulley).
3. Separate but related joint - tibiofibular joint (plane joint).

FEMUR
4. The femur has two condyles, an intercondylar notch posteriorly & trochlear notch/groove anteriorly (for articulation with the patella).

5. Lateral tibial condyle is shorter and is most often convex. Two femoral condyles sliding on the tibial plateau will go through slight medial rotation - locking mechanism. The popliteus unlocks the femur by rotating it laterally.
6. Sulcus terminalis - distal medial femoral condyle is longer, narrower & more curved than the lateral condyle. This is for the 'screw-home' mechanism.



PATELLA
7. The lateral surface of the patella larger than the medial surface.

CAPSULE
8. The capsule of the knee joint has 2 main gaps - one to allow the popliteus tendon to insert & another to communicate with the large suprapatellar bursa.

Reference(s)

R.M.H McMinn (1998). Last’s anatomy: regional and applied. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Gray, H., Carter, H.V. and Davidson, G. (2017). Gray’s anatomy. London: Arcturus.