It’s all about tendons & ligaments

To protect your knee, you must know how it works. Several tendons and ligaments work together to help the knee move naturally. Tendons are like cables of strong tissue that connect muscles to bones. The tendons in the front of the knee are the quadriceps tendon and the patellar tendon. The quadriceps tendon connects to the top of the patella (kneecap) and allows you to extend your leg. The patellar tendon connects to the bottom of your kneecap and attaches to the top of the tibia (shinbone). The hamstring tendons are in the back of the knee.

Ligaments are like cables of strong tissue that connect bones to bones or cartilage to bones. There are four ligaments in the knee that help connect the femur to the tibia and keep your legs stable:

Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)

– The MCL connects your femur to your tibia along the inside of your knee. It keeps the inner part of your knee stable and helps control the sideways motion of your knee, like keeping it from bending inward.

Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)

– The LCL connects your femur to your tibia along the outside of your knee. It keeps the outer part of your knee stable and helps control the sideways motion of your knee, like keeping it from bending outward.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

– The ACL connects your femur to your tibia at the center of the knee. It helps control forward motion and rotation, like keeping your shinbone from sliding out in front of your thighbone.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)

– The PCL connects your femur to your tibia at the back of the knee. It helps control the knee’s backward motion, like keeping the shinbone from sliding out under the thighbone.