Knee Skeletal Overview

The knee joint is the largest, most complex, and probably the most vulnerable joint in the body. The knee joint is a complex hinge joint and in addition to flexion and extension permits limited rolling, gliding, and rotational movement. It is formed by the femur superiorly on two rounded surfaces called condyles and inferiorly to the tibia, or the shinbone. On the outer aspects of both condyles are the epicondyles, which serve as sites for muscle and ligament attachment. In the space between the condyles is a depression called the intracondylar fossa, which is the site of attachment of the cruciate ligaments, the chief rotational stabilizing ligaments of the knee. On the superior aspect of the medial epicondyle of the femur is the adductor tubercle which serves as the site for muscle insertion to the adductor magnus muscle, one of three muscles that bring our legs in medially and helps to flex the thigh. The knee is held together by a complex ligamentous system and the site of muscle attachment for some of the most powerful muscles in the body.