|
Results for patella
|
On this page:
|
[Latin, diminutive of patina, plate, pan. See paten.]
patellar pa·tel'lar or pa·tel'late (-tĕl'ĭt, -āt') adj.A small lens-shaped sesamoid bone encased in the patellar tendon at the front of the knee. The patella protects the knee-joint anteriorly and improves the leverage of the knee extensor muscles by as much as 50%. It also increases the area of contact between the patellar tendon and the femur decreasing mechanical stress on the patellofemoral joint. The patella is poorly nourished and poorly protected, consequently it is susceptible to injury.
Pl. patellae [L.] a large sesamoid bone at the femorotibial joint.
| Bone: Patella | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Knee diagram | ||
| Gray's | subject #60 255 | |
| MeSH | Patella | |
The patella or kneecap is a thick, triangular bone which articulates with the femur and covers and protects the front of the knee joint. It is the largest sesamoid bone in the human body. It is attached to the tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which contracts to straighten the leg. The vastus intermedialis muscle is attached to the base of patella. The vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are attached to lateral and medial borders of patella respectively.
The patella is stabilised by the insertion of vastus medialis and the prominence of the anterior femoral condyles, which prevent lateral dislocation during flexion. The retinacular fibres of the patella also stabilise it during exercise.
The primary functional role of the patella is knee extension. The patella increases the leverage that the tendon can exert on the femur by increasing the angle at which it acts.
The patella ossifies between the ages 2-6 years. In some people it may be absent congenitally or hypoplastic. In 2% of the population there is a bipartite patella, which is usually asymptomatic.
 Lower extremity |
 Left patella - anterior aspect |
 Left patella - posterior aspect |
 Right knee-joint. Anterior view. |
 Sagittal section of right knee-joint. |
 Capsule of right knee-joint (distended). Lateral aspect. |
 Front and medial aspect of right thigh. |
 Lateral aspect of right leg. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
n. - lille skål, knæskal
Deutsch (German)
n. - Kniescheibe
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γαβαθάκι, (ανατ.) επιγονατίδα
Português (Portuguese)
n. - patela (f) (Med.)
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - knäskål
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
膝盖骨
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 膝蓋骨
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 슬개골, 종지뼈, 작은 접시
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) رضفه, داغضه, صابونه الركبه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - פיקת-הברך
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Join the WikiAnswers Q&A community. Post a question or answer questions about "patella" at WikiAnswers.
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Patella". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!
Click here to download now. 
Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.
