Week four: The knee

• Give reasons why the knee is the largest and most complex joint in the body.

  • It is the largest and most complex joint in the body as it bears the entire body weight in balance.
  • Provides freedom of movement in locomotion.
• Name the bones which form the knee joint.

  • Lower end of the femur forms part of the knee joint.
  • Upper end of the tibia meets with smooth under surface of the femur forming the knee joint.
• What acts in completing the straightening of the joint?

  • Patella is attached to the tibia below by ligaments and above receives the attachment of the quadriceps muscle (thigh)
  • This acts in completing the straightening of the joint.
• How do the ligaments secure the bones in the knee?

  • Ligaments secure the bones both vertically and crosswise.
  • Allow a hinge like movement of the joint as well as a small degree of rotation.
• What are the movements of the knee joint?

  • Flexion
  • Extension
  • Rotation inwards and outwards
• Give reasons why this joint is the most frequently injured.

  • Sudden twists and turns
  • Although powerful muscles in the thigh and calf help sustain various motions of the knee, side to side stability is maintained by two ligaments, soft tissues that are the first to go when the knee is twisted beyond the ligaments capacity to stretch inward or outward.
• List ways in which a medical practitioner might determine the extent of a soft tissue knee injury.

  • Ultra sound, or arthography (the injection of a dye prior to X-ray).
  • Arthroscopy (the surgical insertion of a tiny scope to permit a direct view of the tissues of the knee).
• List three possible problems associated with the knee joint.

  1)Sprain (Disruption and tearing of the meniscus causing loose bodies within the joint).

  2)Bursitis (Through injury or overuse excess synovial fluid is produced resulting in 'fluid on the knee').

  3)Hyperextension (When body weight is not balanced over feet but over heels causing problems with speed and elevation.)