How Torn Quadricep Tendons Can Affect Your Knee Health

Consultant Knee Surgeon 

How Torn Quadricep Tendons Can Affect Your Knee Health

 Having already covered a lot of different knee injuries, today our consultant knee surgeon outlines how a torn quadriceps tendon can affect the general balance and function of your knee joint.

The quadriceps are a group of four separate muscles integral to the function of the knee joint, the four separate muscles each with their distinctive names work together to help extend or straighten your knee and also help keep your knee-cap healthy.

The rectus femoris in the middle of the thigh and lies on top of the other three quadriceps muscles. These other three muscles are the vastus lateralis (on the outside of the thigh), vastus medialis (on the inner part of the thigh), and the vastus intermedius (which lies between the lateralis and medialis, and underneath the rectus femoris.

Whilst other muscles play an important role in your knee function, your consultant knee surgeon will know, the quadriceps muscle, plays an important role in stabilising your knee joint and keeping your knee joint healthy.

How the Quadriceps and Knee Joint Interact

As powerful extensors of the knee joint, your quadriceps muscles are necessary for any walking, running or jumping type activity.

These muscles act together in a synchronised way. When any one of these four muscles become weak after injury or lack of exercise it can affect the knee joint leading to pain and cracking particularly at the front behind your knee cap.

Quadricep Injuries and the Knee Joint

Your knee surgeon will know that even slight quadricep injuries can have an impact on knee pain and health because of their important function. Having strong quadriceps helps reduce the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and having adequate strength in the muscles is essential when recovering from any knee or hip surgery.

Any small tears in the quadriceps tendon will make it difficult for the quadriceps muscle to tense and extend the kneecap joint to straighten your leg. This is why a partial or complete tear will drastically reduce your leg’s motor abilities, function and strength.

Partial and Complete Tears of the Quadricep

Tears in the quadriceps will either be partial (not completely disrupting the muscle or tendon) or a complete tear, where the quadriceps tendon will be split into two separate pieces. In cases of a complete tear, the quadriceps muscle is no longer attached to the kneecap, making it impossible for the knee to straighten when your muscle contracts (this will usually need urgent surgery to repair the tear).

Even a partial tear in the quadriceps will result in severe tenderness, cramping and difficulty walking and just supporting oneself. In some cases, you’ll be able to see an indentation above the kneecap where the tear occurred, with the kneecap also sometimes having moved because of the tendons not pulling on it like before.

Contact A Consultant Knee Surgeon Today

If you need a bit more information about your knee problem then you can call My Knee Doc on 0161 464 6399 . If you have any questions or want to book an appointment to speak with a consultant knee surgeon about knee injuries and any other concerns you might have.

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