Normal Knee Anatomy

  • The is the mating and movement of three bones; the femur or thigh bone, the tibia or shin bone and the patella or knee-cap. The end of the femur rides on the top surface of the tibia and the patella moves within a groove on the femur.
  • The bones are joined together by ligaments and tendons. These soft-tissue structures guide the movement of the bones and provide the stability needed for normal knee motion. Unlike the ball and socket hip joint, the bones are not interconnected; it is the soft-tissue around the bones which holds the joint in place. This is why one of the key factors in a successful total knee replacement is surgical management and later rehabilitation of the remaining soft-tissue (i.e. muscles, ligaments and tendons).

  • In a normal knee, the tendons attach the muscles to the bones and the ligaments attach the bones to one another. During the knee replacement operation, one or more of the ligaments is removed. Often the normal function of one or more of the ligaments is severely compromised due to the deterioration in the knee joint. One of the main jobs of the knee implants is to recreate the normal function of these removed ligaments.
Knee Joint Anatomy
  • Between the femur and tibia is a soft-tissue pad known as the meniscus. This pad acts as a “shock absorber” helping to evenly distribute the loads or forces between the bones of the knee. The meniscus also provides additional stability during motion.
  • The link below provides a more in-depth review of basic knee anatomy: http://www.kneepaininfo.com/kneeanatomy.html

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