Stifle: structure in detail

knee joint, the structure of which should be well known to everyone involved in sports, the largest in the human body.It is formed by three bones.The structure of the human knee joint due to its location.The ends of the bones that form the structure is covered with a very dense cartilage thickness of 6 mm.It provides one of the main functions of articulation - shock absorption when walking.

knee joint, structure

photo shows us the basic structure of the joints: muscle, bone, meniscus, ligaments (cruciate), nerves and blood vessels.We begin to treat it with the structure of the bones.The joint is formed by three bones.Two long - tibial and femoral tube.Third - patella.It is round-shaped and quite small.Located in front.The femur condyles forms a bottom - projections, covered with cartilage.These protrusions are contacted with the so-called tibial plateau, consisting in turn of two halves.The patella moves in the trough of the depression which formed the condyles.This is also called patellofemoral gr

oove.The fibula is the side of the tibia.In the formation of the knee joint, it is not involved.

structure and importance of cartilage

function of the tissue - in cushioning the shock load, reducing the frictional force during movement.It is necessary, where two bone surfaces rub against each other.Articular cartilage is very tight.The knee joint it covers not only the ends of the femur and tibia, but also the surface of the patella.Cartilage tissue is of several types.The knee - hyaline.A feature of this fabric is a high water content in the intercellular substance.This provides flexibility and helps protect against damage to the knee joint.

structure of ligaments and menisci

dense connective tissue formation, the fixing ends of the bones called ligaments.In the case of the knee joint capsule strengthen its two such structures from the outside - the medial and lateral.And two inside - front and rear cruciate.They limit excessive motion in the anteroposterior direction, preventing it from slipping relative to the femur.All knee ligaments are crucial for its stable operation.Between the femur and the tibia are two more education, called the meniscus.They can also be called cartilage, though their structure differs from the structure of hyaluronic covering the joint surfaces.Meniscus fill the space between the tibial plateau and the articular end of the femur.
They are elastic like a seal, redistributing weight.Without them, all its weight concentrated at one point on the tibial plateau.Two types of menisci (medial and lateral) are connected to the lateral ligament.The lateral (outer) less damaged due to its greater mobility.Inner (medial) meniscus located near the inner lateral ligament and has a lower lability.This is due to its frequent trauma.In the center of the meniscus is thicker than the edges - it forms a small cavity in the tibial plateau and makes the joint more stable.If the ligaments were not, we would have a much greater imbalance of the lower limb and often injure to the knee joint.The structure supporting knee elements gives it stability


They lie along the muscles and tendons.The biggest - patellar (under the quadriceps tendon), it almost does not communicate with the joint cavity.Behind is a deep podnadkolennaya bag, deep in the joint - a few smaller ones.When filling some of these synovial fluid can form cysts.

muscles involved in flexion and extension joint

on the front of the thigh is quadriceps muscle.When it is reducing its unbent leg at the knee joint.The patella tendon lies in the interior, serving as a fulcrum, and changing the direction of travel if necessary.It increases the strength of said muscle.Flexors of the lower leg (at the back of the thigh and around the knee) is bent leg at the knee joint.


Consider popliteal nerve.It is the largest of those located on the rear surface of the joint.This nerve - the sciatic branch.It provides sensory and motor innervation of the joint capsule.Above the joint it divides into the tibial and peroneal nerves.They are worth mentioning because the trauma they are often damaged knee.Also behind the capsule supplies the obturator nerve.Some branches of the tibial nerve provides the sensitivity of its posteromedial part.And supplies the peroneal posteroexternal perednenaruzhnuyu surface.This is due to the fact that the body of the small moving structures, as the knee - the structure and innervation zones with a large number of overlapping ensures high sensitivity.

blood supply

extensive vascular network surrounding the knee is composed of four major arteries, which are interconnected and form a vascular plexus (network of about 13 at the joint surface) and inside it.The first and largest artery - femoral.Popliteal, anterior tibial and deep a little less.All they develop collateral circulation in the event that one of the vessels to be bandaged.The anatomical structure of the popliteal artery can easily imagine, dividing it into three sections.The first - the top.Ligation to carry out better on the second.Superficial vein in the knee joint are arranged in two layers.Deeper presented the great saphenous vein.Surface - venous network from extra.The latter does not occur in every person.From the back of the knee joint moves small subcutaneous Vienna.Sometimes it goes one trunk, and sometimes two.Place it flows also varies, but often falls into the popliteal.