The knee is one of the major joints in our body. From walking to running, standing to sitting, the knee is there to support and stabilise our body in most of our daily activities.

“The knee is the body’s largest joint, and it has a fairly complex structure. This structure makes it possible for us to bend and straighten our knees, and to turn them slightly inward or outward.” [Reference: National Library of Medicine]

The knee is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. In this blog post, let’s look at the anatomy of the knee:

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BONES

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CARTILAGE

The surfaces of the bone within the knee are lined with articular cartilage which is composed of type II collagen and proteoglycans.

Injuries and Conditions – Injuries to the knee include cartilage damage such as a meniscus tear. The NHS explain that “a meniscus tear usually happens when you twist your knee while playing sport. But it can also happen from more minor injuries such as twisting when standing up”. [Reference: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meniscus-tear/]

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common condition where the articular cartilage becomes damaged and irregular due to breakdown of the collagen fibres. The surface of a healthy knee joint provides a smooth gliding pain free range of motion. In arthritis, the cartilage becomes damaged. There are a number of reasons why this can happen.

Pain – Osteoarthritis can cause knee pain. A meniscus tear will also cause pain in the knee.

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LIGAMENTS

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MUSCLES

The quadriceps are a group of four muscles at the front of the thigh that do most of the work to extend the knee. The quadriceps are the strongest and leanest muscles in the entire body. The hamstring muscles are a collection of three muscles at the back of the thigh that affect hip and knee movement. These muscles begin behind the hip bone and attach to the tibia bone at the knee. [Reference: https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/knee-muscles#1]

Injuries and conditions – Strains and tears are injuries that can occur to either the quadricep or hamstring muscles. Conditions that affect the knee muscles include quadriceps injuries.

Pain – Depending on the severity, strains and tears will cause muscle pain.