Anatomical Vocabulary of The Knee

1. Further away from the point of attachment/origin.
5. Posterior leg muscles of the thigh.
10. Made up of the patella and the femur.
11. The lateral bone in the lower leg that serves as an important insertion point(s) for muscles and ligaments providing support to the knee.
15. The term used to describe a deformity in which a force pushes your knee out away from the center of your body; bow-legs.
19. Ligament that attaches to anterior aspect of tibial plateau that restricts anterior (forward) movement of the tibia on the femur.
20. Crescent-shaped wedges of cartilage between the tibia and the femur.
21. The joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans.
22. The angle formed between the quadriceps muscles and the patella tendon (affects women more than men due to women having wider hips).
23. Longest, strongest, and heaviest bone in the human body.
24. The capability of a force to produce rotation.
25. A sesamoid bone, located in the quadriceps tendon, that provides the mechanical advantage for knee extension.
26. A location where two or more bones meet.
28. Thin layer of connective tissue over the ends of long bones that provides a smooth surface for gliding.

2. Flexes and medially rotates the leg at the knee and extends the thigh at the hip joint.
3. Produces thigh extension, internal rotation, pelvis stabilization, and leg flexion.
4. Supports general movement at the hip and knee joint.
6. Ligament that attaches to the posterior aspect of the tibial plateau that restricts posterior (backward) movement of the tibia on the femur.
7. A small bone commonly found embedded within a muscle or tendon near joint surfaces.
8. The strongest of the lower leg bones, located on the medial side and flattened at the top.
9. Responsible for flexing the lower extremities at the knee and aiding in walking and maintaining proper posture.
12. A groove through which the patella slides during motion that serves as the main stabilizer of the patellofemoral joint.
13. Flat longitudinal band found on the lateral (outer) side of the knee that connects the femur to the fibula.
14. Flat longitudinal band found on the medial (inner) side of the knee that connects the femur to the tibia.
16. A fibrous connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone.
17. Made up of the tibia and the femur.
18. The term used to describe a deformity in which a force pushes your knee in towards the center of your body; knock-knees.
25. Closer to the point of attachment/origin.
27. Anterior leg muscles of the thigh.
29. A fibrous connective tissue that connects bone to bone.