Yes
The patellar tendon is the structure lying below the kneecap (patella) attaching the quadriceps muscle to the tibia. Through the patellar tendon the quadriceps contraction allows the knee to extend or straighten. It is thought that the patella is a bone thickening (sesamoid bone) in the quadriceps tendon. The patellar tendon often tears where it attaches to the kneecap, and can break a piece of the bone as it tears. When the patellar tendon is completely torn, the tendon is separated from the kneecap. Without this attachment, you cannot straighten your knee. Symptoms may include: 1  pain and tenderness around the patellar tendon. 2  swelling in your knee joint or swelling where the patellar tendon attaches to the shinbone. 3  pain with jumping, running, or walking, especially downhill or downstairs. 4  pain when you bend or straighten the leg. 5  tenderness behind the kneecap. Patellar ligament. The patellar ligament is an extension of the quadriceps tendon. It extends from the patella, otherwise known as the kneecap. A ligament is a type of fibrous tissue that usually connects two bones. Specifically, the ligament connects the patella to the top of the tuberosity (a ridge-like prominence) of the tibia, or shinbone. Above the kneecap, the tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle attaches to the femur, or thighbone. The patellar tendon is the structure that connects the kneecap (patella) to the shin bone (tibia). Technically, a ligament is structure that connects bone to bone, and therefore some people refer to this structure as the patellar ligament. The medial patellar retinaculum is a tendon of the knee that crosses the knee joint on the medial side of the patella. It plays important roles in the formation of the fibrous capsule of the knee and in the extension of the knee joint. The patella tendon is an extremely strong tendon (actually a ligament) that connects the patella (knee cap) to the tibia. The patella tendon is an absolutely essential structure for walking. When the patella tendon tears you can not straighten your leg… or if you can move it, it is very weak.
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/patellar-tendon.html http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00512 http://www.corephysicians.org/news-and-health-library/health-library/injuries/inju3197/ http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/patellar-ligament http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/10/victor_cruz_injury_what_is_a_torn_patellar_tendon_how_serious_is_it_what_is_the_treatment.html http://www.innerbody.com/image_musc09/ligm02.html http://www.howardluksmd.com/orthopedic-social-media/patella-tendon-tears/
is the patellar tendon the same as a patellar ligament