Quadriceps Tendon
The Musculus Quadriceps femoris has many tendons that fulfill different functions. The tendon of the M. rectus femoris begins about 10 cm above the patella. This part of the muscle leads to stretching in the knee joint as well as to flexion in the hip joint.
The tendon of the vastus intermedius muscle bundles together approximately in the middle of the thigh bone (femur). Normally, this part of the muscle is not visible, as it is completely covered by the rectus femoris muscle. The tendon of the vastus lateralis muscle splits and extends laterally past the patella to the lower leg. The tendon of the vastus medialis muscle, which forms a common tendon of the four muscle parts, extends beyond the kneecap (patella) into the ligament of the patella, which begins at a kind of roughening of the lower leg bone. The tendons themselves begin about 5-10cm above the patella.
Common injuries of the quadriceps
Injuries to the anterior thigh musculature during stretching movements of the knee joint against resistance (e.g. a press strike in soccer) can occur in both pelvic and knee joint injuries. Tears or tears (so-called ruptures) of the quadriceps tendon, the insertions of the rectus femoris muscle, the vastus medialis muscle, and the vastus lateralis muscle near the knee joint play an enormous role and lead to a reduced or even a loss of the ability to stretch the knee joint. A further cause of injury to the tendon of the femoral quadriceps can be degenerative, i.e. the tendon has been damaged or limited in its structure and function beforehand.
This in turn can be caused by tissue death (necrosis) or by perceptible tissue loss (atrophy). Intense tension of the quadriceps femoris muscle can lead to further serious injuries. A patella fracture results in a fracture of the kneecap. Despite this fracture, the knee can still be stretched in individual cases, since the tendon fibers of the vastus lateralis muscle pass the kneecap and directly attach to the tibia, allowing stretching (reserve extensor).In the other cases there is only an injury to the joint surface of the kneecap, in which the ability to stretch the knee is hardly affected.
