Knee

Knee
Human knees
Right knee (front-right view)
Details
SystemMusculoskeletal system
NerveFemoral, obturator, sciatic
Identifiers
Latinarticulatio genus
MeSHD007717
TA98A01.1.00.036
TA2161
FMA24974
Anatomical terminology

In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the human body. The knee is a modified hinge joint, which permits flexion and extension as well as slight internal and external rotation. The knee is vulnerable to injury and to the development of osteoarthritis.

It is often termed a compound joint having tibiofemoral and patellofemoral components. (The fibular collateral ligament is often considered with tibiofemoral components.)