knee cartilage bones tendons and ligaments
All rights reserved. The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. The knee joins the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). The smaller bone that runs alongside the tibia (fibula) and the kneecap (patella) are the other bones that make the knee joint.Tendons connect the knee bones to the leg muscles that move the knee joint.Ligaments join the knee bones and provide stability to the knee: 1  The anterior cruciate ligament prevents the femur from sliding backward on the tibia (or the tibia sliding forward on the femur).igaments join the knee bones and provide stability to the knee: 1  The anterior cruciate ligament prevents the femur from sliding backward on the tibia (or the tibia sliding forward on the femur).