Knee

Table of contents

1 Anatomy

1.1 Ligaments

2 Ship Building

Anatomy

In anatomy, the knee is the joint (articulation) of the thigh bone and the tibia. It is overlain by the sesamoid bone, the patella, which guides the patellar tendon in a smooth path over the bony projections of the knee.

Ligaments

The human knee contains four main ligaments: the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), the Medial Cruciate Ligament (MCL), and the Lateral Cruciate Ligament (LCL). In sports such as skiing, soccer, or other sports that involve great stresses to the knees it is common to tear one or more of the ACL, MCL, or occaisionally the PCL. This is a serious injury that can involve anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months recovery time, and may require a surgical repair of the ligament. Techniques to minimise the risk of an ACL injury while skiing are published by Vermont Safety Research

Ship Building

The knee is an L-shaped piece of wood or iron used to hold the various parts of the ship together, used in conjunction with various assembly elements securing the knee to the two parts of the ship being secured. The 1800's witnessed the change from wood to iron knees.