patella
Sign in to saveThe patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as mice, cats, birds, and dogs, but not in whales, or most reptiles.
AI overview
The patella, commonly known as the kneecap, is a flat, triangular bone that sits in front of the knee joint where it connects with your thighbone and protects the knee. This bone is found in many four-legged animals like mice, cats, and dogs, but interestingly, whales and most reptiles don't have one.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Bone.Name
- Patella
- Bone.Latin
- patella
- Bone.Image
- Knee diagram.svg
- Bone.Caption
- Right knee
- Bone.Origins
- Present at the joint of femur and tibia fibula
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Variation
- Development
- Function
- Clinical significance
- Dislocation
- Treatment
- Vertical alignment
- Fracture
- Exostosis
- Other animals
- Etymology
- See also
- References
- External links
The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as mice, cats, birds, and dogs, but not in whales, or most reptiles.
In humans, the patella is the largest sesamoid bone (i.e., embedded within a tendon or a muscle) in the body. Babies are born with a patella of soft cartilage which begins to ossify into bone at about four years of age.