Knee Ligament Anatomy Animation
September 17, 2008
This is an excellent animation showing the four key ligaments in the knee and their functions in holding the knee joint together. Read more
Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD)
June 4, 2008
OSD is most commonly characterized by the big tibial tubercle and pain on activities like kneeling or repeated jumping. OSD arises from a strong pull of the quadriceps muscle on the tibial tubercle during a child’s growth spurt. This normally occurs around the ages of 9 – 16 years old. This strong pull occurs in sports that require a quick, strong contraction of the quadriceps, like in soccer, martial arts, and basketball. Read more
Patellar Tendinitis
May 19, 2008
Patellar tendinitis or ‘jumpers knee’ is a condition that results from an inflammation of the patellar tendon.
The patellar tendon is the structure that connects the patella (knee cap) to the tibia (shin bone). Taking a closer look at anatomy, the knee cap is a small floating bone (sesamoid) which attaches the quadriceps to the tibia through the patellar tendon. Hence the patellar tendon being a continuation of the bulky quadriceps muscle is pivotal in the way you move your leg. It helps the quadriceps muscle extend the lower leg so that you can kick a ball, jump in air or push the pedals on your bike. Read more
Popliteal Tendonitis : A Case Study
March 2, 2008
One of the most common cause of acute knee pain is a tear in the meniscus. So common that we sometimes overlook other possibilities such as Popliteal Tendonitis. We had one such case where the client complained about pain over the posterior aspect of her right knee. The pain came on and off increasingly over the past year as the client was training for a half-marathon later this year. Although a meniscal tear was first suspected, MRIs taken showed no such tear.
Examining her bio-mechanical movements, the client has a slight pronation on her right foot. On palpation, there was tenderness over the medial joint line and over the popliteal tendon region. All other assessments were negative except for resistive knee flexion with a bias for tibial internal rotation.
Popliteal tendonitis tends to occur due to increased hyperextension of the knee while running or excessive up-hill training. This condition is often overlooked as the pain patterns are fairly dispersed and feels deep over the posterior aspect of the knee.
Management prescribed was soft-tissue massage and ultrasound for soft-tissue healing, inner-range quads strengthening for the tibial internal rotation bias and footwear advice for the right foot pronation.

