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Reumatol Clin. 2012;8(S2):3945

www.reumatologiaclinica.org

Clinical Anatomy of the Knee

b,d

Miguel ngel Saavedra a,b, , Jos Eduardo Navarro-Zarza c , Pablo Villasenor-Ovies

,
b,e,f
b,g
b,h
Juan J. Canoso
, Anglica Vargas , Karla Chiapas-Gasca , Cristina Hernndez-Daz b,h ,
Robert A. Kalish b,f,i
a

Rheumatology Department, La Raza National Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico

Mexican Group for the Study of Clinical Anatomy (GMAC), Mexico
c
Rheumatology, Hospital General de Chilpancingo, Dr. Raymundo Abarca Alarcn, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico
d
Rheumatologist, Tijuana, Mexico
e
ABC Medical Center, Mexico City, Mexico
f
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
g
Rheumatology, National Institute of Cardiology, Mexico City, Mexico
h
Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography Laboratory Department, National Institute of Rehabilitation, Mexico City, Mexico
i
Rheumatology Division, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, USA
b

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 2 October 2012
Accepted 3 October 2012
Available online 6 December 2012
Keywords:
Knee
Bursitis
Regional pain syndrome
Baker cyst
Clinical anatomy

a b s t r a c t
The clinical anatomy of several pain syndromes of the knee is herein discussed. These include the iliotibial
tract syndrome, the anserine syndrome, bursitis of the medial collateral ligament, Bakers cyst, popliteus
tendon tenosynovitis and bursitis of the deep infrapatellar bursa. These syndromes are reviewed in terms
of the structures involved and their role in knee physiology. All of the discussed structures can be identied in their normal state and more so when they are affected by disease. The wealth of information
gained by cross examination of the medial, lateral, posterior and anterior aspects of the knee brings to
life knowledge acquired at the dissection table, from anatomical drawings and from virtual images.
2012 Elsevier Espaa, S.L. All rights reserved.

Anatoma clnica de la rodilla

r e s u m e n
Palabras clave:
Rodilla
Bursitis
Sndrome doloroso regional
Quiste de Baker
Anatoma clnica

En este artculo se revisa la anatoma clnica de varios sndromes dolorosos de la rodilla. Estos incluyen
el sndrome de la bandeleta iliotibial, el sndrome de la pata de ganso, la bursitis del ligamento colateral medial, el quiste de Baker, la tenosinovitis popltea y la bursitis infrapatelar profunda. El anlisis
anatmico de estos sndromes revela una multiplicidad de estructuras identicables en su estado normal
y ms an en las tendinosis o cuando hay un derrame sinovial. El examen cruzado de las estructuras
mediales, laterales, posteriores y anteriores de la rodilla provee aspectos dinmicos que complementan
su estudio por diseccin, lminas anatmicas e imgenes virtuales.
2012 Elsevier Espaa, S.L. Todos los derechos reservados.

General Considerations
The knee is the largest synovial joint in the body and one of the
most complex biomechanical systems known.1,2 This joint includes
a condyloid joint between the condyles of the femur and the tibia
and a saddle joint between the posterior surface of the patella and

Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (M.. Saavedra).
1699-258X/$ see front matter 2012 Elsevier Espaa, S.L. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.reuma.2012.10.002

the patellar surface of the femur (Fig. 1). The upper tibiobular joint,
which is not involved in weight bearing, frequently communicates
with the femorotibial joint.3
The main movements of the knee are exion between 120 and
150 and extension between 5 and 10 .3 With maximal extension
the knee screws home as the medial femoral condyle slides back
on the medial meniscus and tibia while the lateral femoral condyle
remains in place, locking the joint. This rotation movement initiates
at 70 extension and becomes maximal in the last 10 .4 To unlock
the knee, at the very beginning of exion the popliteus muscle (P),

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40

M.. Saavedra et al. / Reumatol Clin. 2012;8(S2):3945

Anterior and
Posterior cruciate ligaments

Adductor
tubercle

For iliotibial
tract
Superior
tibiofibular
joint
Head
neck
and
shaft
of
fibula

Medial
condyles

Tibial
tuberosity

Wiley/Blackwell; 1976, p 24.7.

taking hold on the tibia, pulls back from the lateral femoral condyle
and causes a reciprocal forward movement of the medial femoral
condyle on the medial meniscus and tibia (Fig. 2), reversing the
locking of the joint.4,5 External and internal rotations of the tibia relative the femur are best shown with the subject sitting and the knee
exed 90 . External rotation is 3040 and internal rotation is about
10 , the difference being explained by the twisting of the cruciate
ligaments during internal rotation (Fig. 3).6 The efcacy of tests for
the integrity of specic knee components has been reviewed.7
The knee joint is the most frequent source of musculoskeletal
pain. Within the joint, there are structures that when irritated cause
localized pain and others which are hard to pin point.810 Table 1
lists conditions that cause knee pain according to its location. The
six prototypical cases that follow will serve to review the clinical
anatomy of the knee region.
Patient 1. Iliotibial tract syndrome.
A 30 year old woman recently undertook running and is seen
because of a lateral left knee pain that appears about 10 minutes
into her running.

Ligamentum
patellae

Medial
meniscus
Cruciate
ligaments
Posterior
fold

Infrapatellar
fat pad
Transverse
ligament
Fibular
collateral
ligament
Popliteus
tendon
Lateral
meniscus

Fig. 2. Sketch of a transverse section of the knee. The medial meniscus is like a C and
the lateral meniscus almost like an o. The bular collateral ligament is extracapsular.
The tibial or medial collateral ligament is capsular. The cruciate ligaments and the
initial portion of popliteus tendon are intracapsular but extrasynovial.
From Passmore R, Robson JS. A companion to medical studies, vol. 1, 2nd ed. Oxford:
Wiley/Blackwell; 1976, p 24.12.

Tibial collateral
Ligament and
Medial meniscus

Lateral
Meniscus
Tibial
Tuberosity

Fig. 1. This simple diagram shows 2 most important attachment sites. One is for
iliotibial tract. This site is unnamed in the Terminologia Anatomica but is widely
known by clinicians as lateral tubercle of tibia or Gerdys tubercle. The other site is
the tibial tuberosity where the patellar tendon attaches.
From Passmore R, Robson JS. A companion to medical studies, vol. 1, 2nd ed. Oxford:

Tibial
collateral
ligament

Fibular
Collateral
Ligament

Fig. 3. Internal rotation of the tibia is limited by the twisting of the cruciate ligaments.
From Passmore R, Robson JS. A companion to medical studies, vol. 1, 2nd ed. Oxford:
Wiley/Blackwell; 1976, p 24.12.

Lateral knee pain that appears upon running may have several causes of which the most common is the iliotibial tract (ITT)
syndrome.11 Pain in the ITT is maximal at 30 exion and tenderness, usually with a burning quality, can be elicited by digital
pressure on the lateral femoral epicondyle during exion and
extension movements of the knee.12 The cause of this syndrome is
repetitive pressure of the ITT against the lateral femoral epicondyle.
At this site swelling of the underlying soft tissues, rather than a distended bursa, can be shown by post-exercise ultrasound (US) and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies.13

Table 1
Causes of knee pain according to location.
Anterior
Prepatellar or pretendinous bursitis
Quadriceps tendon tendinitis
Articularis genu muscle disorders?
Chondromalacia patella
Patellofemoral osteoarthritis
Plica medio patellaris
Tight lateral retinaculum
Patellar tendon tendinitis
Osgood-Schlatter disease
Infrapatellar bursitis
Hoffas body inammation
Lateral
Iliotibial tract syndrome
Bicipital tendon tendinitis
Lateral meniscus tears and cysts
Popliteus tendon bursitis (posterolateral)
Medial
Anserine syndrome
Medial meniscus tears
Medial plica syndrome
Medial (tibial) collateral ligament bursitis (no-name, no-fame bursa)
Semimembranosus bursitis
Posterior
Lymphadenopathy
Thrombophlebitis
Popliteal arterial aneurysms
Mucoid degeneration of popliteal artery wall
Baker cysts
Ganglia
Sarcomas

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Relevant Anatomy Amenable to Self- and Cross-recognition

The ITT is a lateral thickening of the deep investing fascia of the
thigh, otherwise known as fascia lata. Proximally, the ITT attaches
to the iliac crest. Once at the greater trochanter two muscles insert
in the ITT, tensor fascia lata (TFL) anteriorly and most bers of gluteus maximus (GM) posteriorly. The ITT descends along the thigh
in parallel with the femoral shaft. Distally, the ITT inserts in the
lateral tubercle of the tibia also known as Gerdys tubercle. This
tubercle is a large, readily palpable, often visible landmark which
varies markedly in size and shape among people that can be found
about 3 cm lateral to the tibial tuberosity. The ITT itself can be seen
as a vertical band that becomes distinct and prominent when the
knee goes into extension and seems to fade in exion, its course
being roughly in parallel with biceps femoris (BF) tendon. The ITT
appears to move forward in knee extension, covering the femoral
epicondyle, and backward in exion. This back-and-forth motion
is apparent rather than real and is the result of selective ber tension according to position, its posterior bers tensing in exion and
its anterior bers tensing extension, giving the illusion of motion.
At any rate, true motion would have been prevented by strong connective tissue strands that anchor the ITT to the femoral epicondyle
and the bone surface just proximal to it.12 Thus, the underlying tissue injury caused by running does not result from friction but from
a repetitive, constantly changing pressure gradient onto the lateral
condyle epicondyle.
Patient 2. Anserine syndrome.
An obese 50 year old woman complains of medial right knee
pain
Patient 3. No name-no fame bursitis.
A 50 year old man undertook running after many years of
sedentary life (he is a hematologist). After exercising for two
weeks he has developed medial knee pain. On PE there is a 2 cm
tender, uctuant area medial to the upper tibia best shown in
semiexion.
Relevant Anatomy Amenable to Self- and Cross-recognition
Medial knee pain can be caused by several conditions, the most
frequent being the anserine syndrome.14,15 This designation shies
away from implying a pathogenetic role of the bursa present in
the region. Patients complain of knee pain that characteristically
increases when ascending and descending stairs and while lying in
bed with the knees in apposition. There is no pain in exion and
extension of the knee. The tenderness, that is diffuse, is located
a few cm distal to the medial joint line. Predisposing factors for
the anserine syndrome include osteoarthritis of the knee, valgus
angulation and obesity. A proposed association with diabetes was
not conrmed.16
Pes anserinus. In Latin and old Spanish anser means goose.
Indeed, when the 3 tendons that make up the pes (foot) anserinus are cut, the insertion is said to resemble the footmark of a goose.
This has not been conrmed in recent studies of the medial aspect of
the knee.17 Pes anserinus is not an ofcially recognized designation
in the Terminologia Anatomica; however, it is a widely used name
for a very common condition. When a knee in extension is looked at
from the front, particularly in women and especially in those who
have genu valgum and are overweight, a broad convexity is seen
that overlies the inner aspect of the joint. Have the subject ex the
knee, even a few degrees, and the convexity disappears. What has
happened? The muscles and tendons that make up pes anserinus,
which stack up medial to the knee in extension, move back, along
with the subcutaneous fat that overlies them, as the knee is exed.
This phenomenon emphasizes once again the differences between

41

the anatomy that is learnt from pictures and the dynamic anatomy
that lies every day before our eyes. The pes anserinus muscles are,
from medial to lateral (or from surface down), sartorius (S), gracilis
(Gra) and semitendinosus (ST). Their origins are far from each other:
the anterosuperior iliac spine and a notch below it for S, the body
and inferior ramus of pubis for Gra, and the superomedial part of the
ischion for ST. A bursa between the pes and the tibia and adjacent
medial collateral ligament, the anserine or sartorial bursa, enjoys
an unwarranted fame as it only rarely displays pathology. Indeed,
in the anserine syndrome which is widely known as anserine bursitis, US studies have failed to show bursits or clear-cut tendon
pathology.18 Although it has been suggested that the pain results
from medial collateral ligament stretching in people with a knee
valgus deformity, it is fair to say that the pathogenesis of anserine syndrome remains unknown.16 Another interesting negative
nding regarding these structures is that the complex pes anserinus/sartorial bursa is not involved in spondyloarthritis. This may be
due to a lack of axial load which prevents sesamoid and periosteal
brocartilague differentiation and thus excludes its participation
in enthesitis.19
Anserine syndrome is usually improved, at least in the short
term, by a steroid inltration. The technique of injection we use
(no priority claim here) is described because it is a good technique
and, as the real reason, to reinvigorate the attendants interest in the
seminar. The site for needle entry is determined, with the patients
knee in semi-exion, by following the sharp ST tendon to the tibia.
A mark is made at this site and the knee is extended. Then, with
a syringe that contains a mixture of local anesthetic and a deposteroid, a fan-like inltration is made using a 21-gauge needle along
the slightly diverging course of the tendons.20,21
No name-no fame bursitis is a rare bird. Bursitis affecting this
bursa, that is placed between the medial collateral ligament and the
upper medial tibia, can be diagnosed when a distended and tender
sac can be felt between the skin and bone in knee exion, as the
bursa is exposed, and not in extension when the medial collateral
ligament moves forward and covers the bursa.22 No description of
this injection will be made beyond saying that is well in the reach
of an insulin needle.
Patient 4. Baker cyst.
A 50 year old woman with knee OA has popliteal pain and
describes perimalleolar swelling by the end of the day
Relevant Anatomy Amenable to Self- and Cross-recognition
In a patient with swelling of the distal leg plus past or present
knee pathology a Baker cyst must be placed highly in the differential diagnosis list. This case lends itself to discuss the anatomy
of the popliteal fossa, the location and characteristics of the
gastrocnemiussemimembranosus (GN-SM) bursa, the acquired
communication between this bursa and the joint, the differences
between a normal communicating bursa and a Baker cyst and the
pathophysiologic bases for the treatment of this cyst (Fig. 4).
Because in the evaluation of a patient with a possible Baker cyst
the presence of a knee effusion is such an important nding it is
pertinent to review how knee effusions are identied. All diarthrodial joints, among them the knee, normally contain a small amount
of synovial uid (SF). These small volumes cannot be identied by
clinical maneuvers but their aspiration is possible by using a large
bore needle and pulling hard and long from the syringes embolus.
Is the aspiration of these trace amounts of any practical importance? Yes, mainly for crystal identication in intercritical gout and
the diagnosis of calcium dehydrate deposition disease in asymptomatic individuals with chondrocalcinosis, as crystals are almost
regularly identied in these settings.23,24 Small effusions of around
5 ml are best identied by the pop-up sign. In this maneuver the

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M.. Saavedra et al. / Reumatol Clin. 2012;8(S2):3945

Semitendinosus m.
Semimembranosus m.
Tibial n.
Popliteal v.
Popliteal a.
Medial head of
gastrocnemius m.

Biceps femoris m.
Common peroneal n.
Plantaris m.
Lateral head of
Gastrocnemius m.

Small saphenous v.
Sural
Communicating n.
Fig. 4. A simple drawing of the popliteal fossa. Baker cysts occur by distention of
a communicating gastrocnemiussemimembranosus bursa. This bursa is placed in
the junction of the middle third and the lateral 2/3 of the popliteal fossa.
From Passmore R, Robson JS. A companion to medical studies, vol. 1, 2nd ed. Oxford:
Wiley/Blackwell; 1976, p 24.34.

medial parapatellar recess is gently squeezed up toward the suprapatellar bursa. Then, a gentle pressure is applied on the pouch with
the hand at. In patients with a small effusion the medial parapatellar recess is seen to pop up. Larger effusions, such as 10 ml
or larger, are best palpated bimanually. The non-dominant hand
is applied at on the suprapatellar bursa while the thumb and
index of the dominant hand are placed on the medial and lateral parapatellar recesses. Reciprocal, gentle pressures cause the
uid to enter the bursa or ll the recesses. Large effusions are seen
as a bulge proximal to the patella (the suprapatellar bursa) and
medial and lateral to the patella (the medial and lateral recesses).
Doppman25 has shown in large effusions that by extending the knee
the uid collected in the back of the joint is shifted forward distending the suprapatellar bursa and lifting the patella. Conversely,
in knee exion, the pressure exerted on the effusion by the quadriceps and the patella pushes the uid back, peels the capsule from
the femora condyles and lls connecting G-SM bursae. Based on US,
the detection of uid in the suprapatellar bursa is improved by an
isometric quadriceps contraction.26 This counterintuitive nding
may be explained by the contraction of articularis genus muscle,27
a small, multiple-layered muscle that inserts in the femur and the
proximal and/or the posterior walls of the suprapatellar bursa and
shares innervation with quadriceps. Thus, the simultaneous contraction of quadriceps and articularis genus could act like a suction
pump bringing back synovial uid into the suprapatellar bursa.
More difcult to explain, although unquestionable for the volume
of the effusions studied, were the ndings of an ultrasound study in
which uid in the suprapatellar bursa was best seen at 30 exion.28
The popliteal fossa. The popliteal fossa (Fig. 4) has a rhombus
shape that is more clearly gured out in anatomical plates than
in vivo. With the volunteer lying on the examining table, face
down, the popliteal fossa, rather than showing a depression, usually bulges out. This is caused by subcutaneous fat which varies in
amount according to the persons make up and weight and should
not be mistaken for a Baker cyst. Of the 4 sides of the rhombus the
upper 2 are, medially, the ST tendon that lies on SM (this muscle
remains eshy almost to its insertion which makes it undetectable
on palpation), and laterally, BF. Going up the thigh, particularly in
strong people, SM appears to coalesce with BF without a dividing
line. The distal 2 sides of the rhombus are, medially, the medial
head of G and laterally, the lateral head of G. It should be recalled
that the medial head of G has its origin above the medial femoral

condyle and its lateral head, in the upper part of the lateral femoral
condyle and adjacent supracondylar line. Plantaris (Pla) muscle
shares insertion with the lateral head of G. Contained in the rhombus, from deep to supercial and from medial to lateral lie the
popliteal artery, the popliteal vein and the tibial nerve. The area
that concerns us at this time, however, is the contact area between
SM in his way to the posterior upper tibia and the medial head of
G in his way to its supracondylar origin. At this site, exion movements of the knee separate these muscles and extension brings
them together.29 In addition, at the beginning of exion and at the
end of extension an area of friction is created. A bursa at this site
promotes gliding and allows harmless motion. This is the G-SM
bursa, the anatomical substrate of the Baker cyst. Medial head of
G and SM are placed behind the medial femoral condyle and so
is this bursa. Lindgren, Willen and Rauschning,30,31 in a series of
landmark anatomical studies determined the timing, the frequency
and the nature of this acquired communication. The communication is absent in the rst decade of life but reaches 10% in the 2nd
decade, 20% in the 3rd decade 30% in the 4th decade, 40% in the
5th decade, reaching a top frequency of 50%60% thereafter. Thus,
once a communication is established, a knee effusion of any nature
will ll the bursa which if large enough will result in a Baker cyst.
Although the sequence of events leading to the acquired communication are still unknown, based on ndings in the contralateral
knee in unilateral cases, the posterior capsule becomes paper thin
at the bursal site. The gap is an 18(424) mm wide transverse slit
that separates the capsule from G.31 We have wondered whether
this capsular wear results from the posterior displacement of the
medial femoral condyle every time the knee is locked in extension.
There is quite a difference between a communicating bursa and
a Baker cyst. When uid enters a communicating bursa the lling
occurs in exion when the capsular gap opens and G and SM separate. As the knee is extended G and SM come together and the
bursa, placed in between, empties its content into the knee and
the capsular gap closes. Thus, normal communicating G-SM bursae should not be detectable in US studies performed in full knee
extension. In a Baker cyst, a larger volume of distention causes part
of the bursa to lie supercial to the muscles and in extension this
portion of the sac, unable to empty, becomes compressed by the
unyielding popliteal fascia. This makes popliteal cysts become soft
and even undetectable in exion and hard in extension.29 This nding on examination is known as the Foucher sign of the Baker cyst.
Solid and true cystic lesions of the popliteal fossa do not soften in
exion, i.e., have a negative Foucher sign. The usefulness of this
sign was evidenced by a recent referral to one of the authors. A
50-year-old male with B-cell lymphoma in remission was sent by
his oncologist for evaluation of a popliteal mass with a presumed
diagnosis of a Baker cyst. He was a strongly built, healthy looking
male with a tennis ball size mass in the right popliteal fossa. There
was no knee effusion. The mass was rm and its consistency was
unchanged by knee exion. Given his background and the negative Foucher sign he was sent back to his oncologist with a likely
diagnosis of recurrent lymphoma in the supercial popliteal nodes,
which was proven by a PET scan.
Popliteal vein compression causes swelling, pain, and rarely,
venous thromboembolism. Swelling of the leg in Baker cysts may
result from venous compression, synovial uid leakage or cyst rupture. The role of lymphatic ectasia in the leg edema caused by
an unruptured popliteal cyst remains to be determined.32 Baker
cysts may compress the tibial nerve and cause gastrocnemius
muscle atrophy, paresthesias, and pain. Very unusually, isolated
arterial compression may result in intermittent claudication.33 A
rare complication of a Baker cyst is an acute or chronic compartment syndrome.34 Baker cysts are best shown in US studies
which are additionally useful to rule out concurrent or maskerading
phlebitis.35

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43

In children, since the capsular opening that allows the lling of

the bursa has not yet formed, popliteal cysts have long been held to
be the result of direct trauma that causes irritation of the bursa and
a loculated effusion. While this concept is true in a normal school
population it is not true in patients with inammatory arthritis such
as rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast to what should be expected, the
rate of bursal communication in these children is 50% or more. This
nding, initially shown by Szer in 1992 was conrmed in a recent
series.36,37 It could be concluded that in RA the damage inicted
by inammation adds to the normal wear of the capsule, causes an
early communication and sets the conditions to develop a pediatric
communicating Baker cyst.
Patient 5. Popliteal tenosynovitis.
A 61 year-old woman consulted with right posterior upper leg
pain. Pain was absent while lying in bed, appeared upon raising
and went away after taking a few steps. On examination there
was a small knee joint effusion and tenderness at the posterolateral joint line as well as posteriorly on the upper tibia. An MRI
showed a small joint effusion and uid in the synovial sheath of
popliteus tendon. Symptoms went away 24 hours after a steroid
injection in the joint cavity.
Relevant Anatomy Amenable to Self- and Cross-recognition
Although we have no direct proof that the pain originated in the
popliteus sheath in this patient, there are three lines of evidence
pointing to this diagnosis. First, pain occurred concurrent with the
posterior sliding of the medial femoral condyle upon full extension which is the position in which popliteus muscle, which spans
the lateral femoral condyle and the upper posterior tibia, would be
maximally stretched. Secondly, there was tenderness at the both
the origin and the insertion of popliteus. Third, an MRI showed
uid accumulation at the popliteus synovial investment.
Popliteus has an intraarticular, tendinous origin in the lateral
femoral condyle below the attachment of the bular collateral

Fig. 6. Swelling of the deep infrapatellar bursa. The patients foot is to the right. The
slight depression proximal to the bursal swelling corresponds to the patella and the
slight swelling proximal to the patella is caused by uid in the suprapatellar bursa
or recess.

ligament (Fig. 5). Additional attachments include the posterior horn

of the lateral meniscus and the bula. The tendon is invested for
some distance by knee synovium (the popliteus bursa) as a superior
and an inferior recess or as a complete investment by coalescence
between the two leaving the tendon free in the lumen.1,38,39 The
popliteus tendon has a downward and medial course, and emerges
in the popliteal fossa from under the arquate ligament where it
takes an additional eshy insertion. Now muscle, it takes a broad
eshy insertion in the back of the tibia above the soleus.
Case 6. Infrapatelar entheseal organ inammation.
A 14 year-old boy with spondyloarthritis diagnosed at age 12
is seen because of pain and swelling in both knees
Relevant Anatomy Amenable to Self- and Cross-recognition
Deep infrapatellar bursa. This bursa, which is wedged between
the patellar tendon and the tibia exhibits homology with the
retrocalcaneal bursa.40 Although less well-dened than in the
retrocalcaneal bursa, there is sesamoid brocartilage in the back of
the patellar tendon, periosteal brocartilage in front of the tibia, and
an apron or wedge of synovium-covered fat that hangs from Hoffas
infrapatellar fat pad on the top. The deep infrapatellar bursa, the
adjacent patellar tendon enthesis, the fat pad and the subperiosteal
bone are all components of the infrapatellar enthesis organ.19 In our

Pop - O1
Pop - O2

Pop -I

Soleal
line

Fig. 5. Popliteus muscle. Two insertions are shown, in the lateral femoral condyle
below the epicondyle and in the back of the lateral meniscus. Its insertion is in the
posterior surface of tibia above soleal line.
From Passmore R, Robson JS. A companion to medical studies, vol. 1, 2nd ed. Oxford:
Wiley/Blackwell; 1976, p 24.14.

Fig. 7. The distended infrapatellar bursa is seen between the upper tibia and the
patellar tendon that appears black. The bursal uid is intense white. A hanging
portion of the fat pad is seen in black on the top.

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44

M.. Saavedra et al. / Reumatol Clin. 2012;8(S2):3945

patient there was a marked swelling of the knee predominantly in

the infrapatellar region where bulging was seen (Figs. 6 and 7). An
MRI study revealed uid not only in the infrapatellar bursa but also
in the synovial cavity of the knee and the soft tissues anterior to the
patella.
Practical Review of the Knee and Related Anatomical
Structures
Anterior Aspect

Patellar tendon
Projection of the suprapatellar bursa
Lateral and medial parapatellar recesses
Lateral border of the femoral condyles
Tibial plateaus
Patellar tendon
Hoffas fat pad, changes in the insertional angle with knee exion
Hoffas fat body apron or wedge that tops the deep infrapatellar
bursa
Tibial tuberosity
Lateral tibial tubercle (Gerdy)

Medial Aspect

Sartorius
Gracilis
Semitendinosus
Pes anserinus
Anserine bursae
Medial collateral ligament
No name, no fame bursa
Medial meniscus and its relationships with the medial collateral
ligament
Medial plica
Insertions of semimembranosus

Lateral Aspect

Lateral femoral epicondyle

Iliotibial tract
Biceps femoris
Lateral collateral ligament

Posterior Aspect

Popliteal fossa
Subcutaneous fat
Semitendinosus and semimembranosus
Biceps femoris
Medial gastrocnemius
Lateral gastrocnemius
Plantaris
Foucher sign of the Baker cyst
Popliteus muscle origin and insertion
Condylar attachment of the lateral collateral ligament as a marker
of popliteus tendon insertion
Role of popliteus muscle in knee unlocking
Conict of Interest
The authors have no conict of interest to declare.
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