: a thick flat triangular movable bone that forms the anterior point of the knee and protects the front of the joint : kneecap
… the quadriceps are attached at the anterior and anterior lateral aspect of the patella and are extensors of the knee joint. John B. Rizzotto
… a few horses suffer from a slipping of the patella—the little bone on the front of the stifle that is similar to the human kneecap—locking the joint so that it cannot flex properly. Heather Smith Thomas
The human knee is specialized for walking upright too: to compensate for the thighbone's being at an angle, there's a lump, or groove, at the end of the femur that prevents the patella from sliding off the joint. Michael D. Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman
Recent Examples on the WebTellez, who missed 17 games last September with a right patella strain, leads the Brewers in home runs with 27 and ranks second on the team with 75 runs batted in – numbers that aren't easily replaceable. Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 Williams underwent reconstructive surgery in January, a procedure that involved taking a piece of tissue from his patella tendon to build a new ACL, and started running straight-line sprints in the spring. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 24 Aug. 2022 In fact, a 2017 study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found that isometric leg exercises were effective for relieving pain associated with the patella tendon, which connects the kneecap to the shin. Christa Sgobba, SELF, 24 Aug. 2022 The Timberwolves will once again be without Anthony Edwards (left patella; tendinopathy) and point guard Patrick Beverley (right ankle; soreness).oregonlive, 6 Mar. 2022 Radiographic instruments can detect, say, defects in a city’s pipes in a similar way to an x-ray picking up a hairline fracture in your patella. Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2022 Experts also used to believe that the primary cause of PFPS was improper tracking of the patella during running. Matt Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 20 Sep. 2018 The problem is, the Browns aren’t quite sure when Jack Conklin will be fully recovered from surgery in December to repair his patella tendon, which will take from six months to a year.cleveland, 9 Jan. 2022 Frank Kaminsky is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in the same right knee that had a patella stress fracture, keeping him out for months in the 2019-20 season. Duane Rankin, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2021 See More