Patella - wikipedia Patella For other uses, see Patella ( disambiguation ). `` Kneecap '' redirects here. For other uses, see NECAP. Patella Right knee Details Pronunciation / pəˈtɛlə / Origins present at the joint of femur and tibia fibula Identifiers Latin patella MeSH A02. 835.232. 043.650. 624 TA A02. 5.05. 001 FMA 24485 Anatomical terms of bone ( edit on Wikidata ) The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a thick, circular - triangular bone which articulates with the femur ( thigh bone ) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as mice, cats and birds, but not in whales, or most reptiles. In humans, the patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body. Babies are born with a patella of soft cartilage which begins to ossify into bone at about three years of age. Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Variation 1.2 Development 2 Function 3 Clinical significance 3.1 Dislocation 3.2 Fracture 3.3 Exostosis 4 Other animals 5 Etymological history 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Structure The patella is a sesamoid bone roughly triangular in shape, with the apex of the patella facing downwards. The apex is the most inferior ( lowest ) part of the patella. It is pointed in shape, and gives attachment to the patellar ligament. The front and back surfaces are joined by a thin margin and towards centre by a thicker margin. The tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle attaches to the base of the patella., with the vastus intermedius muscle attaching to the base itself, and the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are attached to outer lateral and medial borders of patella respectively. The upper third of the front of the patella is coarse, flattened, and rough, and serves for the attachment of the tendon of the quadriceps and often has exostoses. The middle third has numerous vascular canaliculi. The lower third culminates in the apex which serves as the origin of the patellar ligament. The posterior surface is divided into two parts. Human left patella from the front Human left patella from behind The upper three - quarters of the patella articulates with the femur and is subdivided into a medial and a lateral facet by a vertical ledge which varies in shape. In the adult the articular surface is about 12 cm ( 1.9 sq in ) and covered by cartilage, which can reach a maximal thickness of 6 mm ( 0.24 in ) in the centre at about 30 years of age. Due to the great stress on the patellofemoral joint during resisted knee flexion, the articular cartilage of the patella is among the thickest in the human body. The lower part of the posterior surface has vascular canaliculi filled and is filled by fatty tissue, the infrapatellar fat pad. Variation In this X-ray, an anatomical variation of the patella can be seen -- the bipartate patella, in which the patella is split into two parts. Emarginations ( i.e. patella emarginata, a `` missing piece '' ) are common laterally on the proximal edge. Bipartite patellas are the result of an ossification of a second cartilaginous layer at the location of an emargination. Previously, bipartite patellas were explained as the failure of several ossification centres to fuse, but this idea has been rejected. Partite patellas occur almost exclusively in men. Tripartite and even multipartite patellas occur. The upper three - quarters of the patella articulates with the femur and is subdivided into a medial and a lateral facet by a vertical ledge which varies in shape. Four main types of articular surface can be distinguished : Most commonly the medial articular surface is smaller than the lateral. Sometimes both articular surfaces are virtually equal in size. Occasionally, the medial surface is hypoplastic or the central ledge is only indicated. Development In the patella an ossification centre develops between the ages 3 -- 6 years. The patella originates from two centres of ossification which unite when fully formed. Function 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. It is attached to the tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which contracts to extend / straighten the knee. The patella is stabilized by the insertion of the horizontal fibres of vastus medialis and by the prominence of the lateral femoral condyle, which discourages lateral dislocation during flexion. The retinacular fibres of the patella also stabilize it during exercise. Clinical significance Dislocation Main article : Patellar dislocation Patellar dislocations occur with significant regularity, particular in young female athletes. It involves the patella sliding out of its position on the knee, most often laterally, and may be associated with extremely intense pain and swelling. The patella can be tracked back into the groove with an extension of the leg, and therefore sometimes returns into the proper position on its own. Fracture Main article : Patella fracture The kneecap is prone to injury because of its particularly exposed location, and fractures of the patella commonly occur as a consequence of direct trauma onto the knee. These fractures usually cause swelling and pain in the region, bleeding into the joint ( hemarthrosis ), and an inability to extend the knee. Patella fractures are usually treated with surgery, unless the damage is minimum and the extensor mechanism is intact. Exostosis An exostosis is the formation of new bone onto a bone, as a result of excess calcium formation. This can be the cause of chronic pain when formed on the patella. Other animals The patella is found in placental mammals and birds ; most marsupials have only rudimentary, non-ossified patellae although a few species possess a bony patella. A patella is also present in the living monotremes, the platypus and the echidna. In more primitive tetrapods, including living amphibians and most reptiles ( except some Lepidosaurs ), the muscle tendons from the upper leg are attached directly to the tibia, and a patella is not present. In 2017 it was discovered that frogs have kneecaps, contrary to what was thought. This raises the possibility that the kneecap arose 400 million years ago when tetrapods first appeared, but that it disappeared in some animals. Etymological history The etymology of patella presents a case of convergent etymology. In the Western world, ' patella ' originated in the late 17th century from the diminutive form of Latin patina or patena or paten, meaning shallow dish. The use of this term in Eastern medicine, however, predates the Western etymology. As early as the 13th century, traditional Ayurveda practitioners in the Indian subcontinent referred to the kneecap as paṭēla haḍḍī ( Hindi : पटेल हड्डी ), literally ' farmer 's bone ' because the grueling life of a patidar. The term was subsequently shortened to just ' patela '. During the British Raj period, Western medicine was introduced to India, and the two etymologies converged into the modern medical use, with two ' L 's. See also This article uses anatomical terminology ; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology. Patellar reflex Knee pain Osteoarthritis Lateral retinaculum Lateral release References ^ Jump up to : Platzer, Werner ( 2004 ). Color Atlas of Human Anatomy, Vol. 1 : Locomotor System ( 5th ed. ). Thieme. p. 194. ISBN 3 - 13 - 533305 - 1. Jump up ^ Palmu, S. ; Kallio, P.E. ; Donell, S.T. ; Helenius, I. ; Nietosvaara, Y. ( 2008 ). `` Acute patellar dislocation in children and adolescents : A randomized clinical trial ''. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 90 ( 3 ) : 463 -- 470. PMID 18310694. doi : 10.2106 / JBJS. G. 00072. ^ Jump up to : Dath, R. ; Chakravarthy, J. ; Porter, K.M. ( 2006 ). `` Patella Dislocations ''. Trauma. 8 : 5 -- 11. doi : 10.1191 / 1460408606ta353ra. Jump up ^ Bentley, G ( 2014 ). European Surgical Orthopaedics and Traumatology : The EFORT Textbook. Springer. pp. 2766 -- 2784. ISBN 978 - 3642347450. Jump up ^ Herzmark MH ( 1938 ). `` The Evolution of the Knee Joint '' ( PDF ). J Bone Joint Surg Am. 20 ( 1 ) : 77 -- 84. Retrieved 2007 - 11 - 17. Jump up ^ Romer, Alfred Sherwood ; Parsons, Thomas S. ( 1977 ). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia, PA : Holt - Saunders International. p. 205. ISBN 0 - 03 - 910284 - X. Jump up ^ `` Frogs have hidden, ancient kneecaps ''. New Scientist. Jul 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Virginia Abdala ; et al. ( Jul 2017 ). `` On the presence of the patella in frogs ''. The Anatomical Record. doi : 10.1002 / ar. 23629. CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. ( link ) Jump up ^ New Shorter Oxford Jump up ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=patella External links Look up kneecap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patella. Bones of the human leg Femur upper extremity head fovea neck greater trochanter fossa lesser trochanter intertrochanteric line intertrochanteric crest quadrate tubercle shaft linea aspera upper medial : merges with intertrochanteric line upper intermediate : pectineal line upper lateral : gluteal tuberosity / third trochanter lower extremity adductor tubercle patellar surface epicondyles lateral medial condyles lateral medial intercondylar fossa Tibia upper extremity Gerdy 's tubercle condyles lateral medial intercondylar area posterior anterior intercondylar eminence lateral tubercle medial tubercle shaft tuberosity soleal line lower extremity medial malleolus Anterior colliculus Posterior colliculus fibular notch Fibula lateral malleolus Other patella apex Foot Tarsus calcaneus sustentaculum tali calcaneal tubercle talus navicular cuboid cuneiform medial intermediate lateral Metatarsals 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Other Phalanges Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patella&oldid=805427174 '' Categories : Knee Sesamoid bones Bones of the lower limb Patella Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. 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Question: where is the patella located in the human body
Answer: surface of the knee joint