What is the knee cap called?

What is the knee cap called?

• A. Patella
• B. Tibia
• C. Fibula
• D. Femur

Answer: (A)

The knee cap, or patella, is a small flat bone that sits in the tendon of the quadriceps across the front of the knee. It’s a sesamoid bone, meaning it forms within a tendon, and it serves two main roles: protecting the knee and increasing the efficiency of knee extension by acting as a pulley that lengthens the quadriceps’ lever arm. Its shiny, cartilage-covered back slides in the femur’s trochlear groove as you bend and straighten the knee, which reduces friction and guides smooth movement. The other bones—tibia (the shin bone), fibula (the smaller outer leg bone), and femur (the thigh bone)—are the main bones around the knee, but they are not the kneecap itself.

The knee cap, or patella, is a small flat bone that sits in the tendon of the quadriceps across the front of the knee. It’s a sesamoid bone, meaning it forms within a tendon, and it serves two main roles: protecting the knee and increasing the efficiency of knee extension by acting as a pulley that lengthens the quadriceps’ lever arm. Its shiny, cartilage-covered back slides in the femur’s trochlear groove as you bend and straighten the knee, which reduces friction and guides smooth movement. The other bones—tibia (the shin bone), fibula (the smaller outer leg bone), and femur (the thigh bone)—are the main bones around the knee, but they are not the kneecap itself.