Bony landmark · Knee

Lateral femoral condyle

Condylus lateralis femoris

The lateral femoral condyle is the rounded outer knuckle at the bottom of the thigh bone. The lateral collateral ligament attaches to its side, the popliteus tendon arises from a groove on it and runs back into the joint, and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius and the plantaris take origin from behind it. Its front edge forms the outer wall of the groove the kneecap tracks in, and it is that wall which resists the kneecap sliding outwards.