06 3D Animation - Muscular Skeleton

If you've ever sat on the sidelines with a knee injury, you probably appreciate how your knees power you through various sports and activities: kicking, jumping, running, and pivoting.  What's in a Knee? The knee is a joint, actually the largest joint in the body. Your knees provide stability and allow your legs to bend, swivel, and straighten.  The knee is considered a hinge joint just like the fingers and elbows. The knee is made up of bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, all working as one.  The knee sits in the middle of three bones: the tibia (your shinbone), the femur (your thighbone), and the patella (the kneecap). The patella is a flat, round bone that protects the knee joint. The ends of the femur and the patella are covered in articular cartilage that acts like a cushion and keeps the femur, patella, and tibia from grinding against each other. On the top of the tibia, extra pads of cartilage called menisci help absorb the body's weight . Each knee has two menisci — the inside (medial) meniscus and the outside (lateral) meniscus. The muscles around the knee include the quadriceps, a group of four muscles at the front of the thigh, and the hamstring, located at the back of the thigh. The quadriceps help you straighten and extend your leg, and the hamstring helps you bend your knee. So next time you’re watching a soccer game or playing in one, think about how all the parts of your knee are working together.