Yesterday’s post served as a sort of introduction, I suppose, to the main components of a human knee. By components, I am making reference to the four major ligaments that exist within the knee, but there are plenty of other very important aspects that make up the entire knee structure that I am by no means intentionally overlooking.
I’ll admit that I feel like a bit of an ass that I had so little knowledge about knees prior to injuring myself playing rugby, but aside from individuals who work in the medical field, I would wager most folks would be in the same boat I am. I figure it doesn’t hurt to better educate myself about an element of my own body, so I’ve looped you in with my learnings in hopes of better educating all of us on the topic of knees. Again, the following information comes from my.clevelandclinic.org.
“Knee ligaments have several important jobs. They play a vital role in the functioning of your knee. Knee ligaments:
- Stabilize your knee when your foot strikes a surface
- Connect your thigh bone to your lower leg bones
- Keep your bones in the proper position
- Prevent your knee from twisting or collapsing
- Stabilize your knee joint
- Stop your knee from moving in any unsafe or unnatural directions
“Your collateral ligaments are located on the sides of your knee. Your medial collateral ligament (MCL) is on the inner side and your lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is on the outer side.
“Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are located inside your knee joint toward the front of your knee. Your PCL crosses behind your ACL, forming an ‘X.’
“Knee ligaments are made of strong connective tissue. They contain collagen — a protein that binds tissue in animals — and elastic fibers that are slightly stretchy,” the webpage explains.
There ya have it, folks.
Photo by Ana Garnica on Unsplash
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