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Patella
 
 
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The patella, also known as the knee cap or kneepan, is a thick, triangular bone
Bone

Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
 which articulates with the femur
Femur

The femur, or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs....
 and covers and protects the knee joint. It is the largest sesamoid bone
Sesamoid bone

In anatomy, a sesamoid bone is a bone embedded within a tendon. They usually resemble sesame seed, hence the name.Sesamoid bones are typically found in locations where a tendon passes over a joint, such as the hand, knee, and foot....
 in the human body. It is attached to the tendon
Tendon

A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension . Tendons are similar to ligaments except that ligaments join one bone to another....
 of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which contracts to extend/straighten the knee
Knee

----The knee is the lower extremity joint connecting the femur, patella, and the tibia and the surrounding anatomical region which includes the popliteal fossa, also known as "knee pit"....
. The vastus intermedialis muscle is attached to the base of patella. The vastus lateralis and vastus medialis
Vastus medialis

The vastus medialis, often called the 'teardrop' muscle, is a medially located muscle of the quadriceps....
 are attached to lateral and medial borders of patella respectively.

The patella is stabilized by the insertion of vastus medialis
Vastus medialis

The vastus medialis, often called the 'teardrop' muscle, is a medially located muscle of the quadriceps....
 and the prominence of the anterior femoral condyles, which prevent lateral dislocation during flexion.






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The patella, also known as the knee cap or kneepan, is a thick, triangular bone
Bone

Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
 which articulates with the femur
Femur

The femur, or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs....
 and covers and protects the knee joint. It is the largest sesamoid bone
Sesamoid bone

In anatomy, a sesamoid bone is a bone embedded within a tendon. They usually resemble sesame seed, hence the name.Sesamoid bones are typically found in locations where a tendon passes over a joint, such as the hand, knee, and foot....
 in the human body. It is attached to the tendon
Tendon

A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension . Tendons are similar to ligaments except that ligaments join one bone to another....
 of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which contracts to extend/straighten the knee
Knee

----The knee is the lower extremity joint connecting the femur, patella, and the tibia and the surrounding anatomical region which includes the popliteal fossa, also known as "knee pit"....
. The vastus intermedialis muscle is attached to the base of patella. The vastus lateralis and vastus medialis
Vastus medialis

The vastus medialis, often called the 'teardrop' muscle, is a medially located muscle of the quadriceps....
 are attached to lateral and medial borders of patella respectively.

The patella is stabilized by the insertion of vastus medialis
Vastus medialis

The vastus medialis, often called the 'teardrop' muscle, is a medially located muscle of the quadriceps....
 and the prominence of the anterior femoral condyles, which prevent lateral dislocation during flexion. The retinacular fibres of the patella also stabilize it during exercise.

The primary functional role of the patella is knee extension. The patella increases the lever
Lever

In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or wiktionary:pivot point to multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object....
age that the tendon can exert on the femur by increasing the angle at which it acts.

The patella ossifies
Ossification

Ossification is the process of bone formation, in which connective tissues, such as cartilage are turned to bone or bone-like tissue. The ossified tissue is invaginated with blood vessels....
 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. Direct trauma, however, may produce symptoms that mimic those of a fracture.

Regarding non-human animals, the patella has convergently evolved in placental mammals
Eutheria

Eutheria are a group of mammals consisting of placental mammals plus all extinct mammals that are more closely related to living placentals than to living marsupials ....
 and birds; marsupials have only rudimentary, non-ossified patellae.

See also

  • Patellar reflex
    Patellar reflex

    The patellar reflex or knee-jerk is a deep tendon reflex and is a myotatic reflex....
  • Lateral retinaculum
    Lateral retinaculum

    The lateral retinaculum is the fibrous tissue on the outer side of the kneecap Patella. The kneecap has both a medial and a lateral retinaculum, and these help to support the kneecap in its position in relation to the femur bone below it....


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