Ligament · Knee

Medial patellofemoral ligament

A flat band on the inner side of the knee running from the femur — in the hollow between the adductor tubercle and the medial epicondyle — forward to the upper half of the inner border of the kneecap, where it blends with the tendon of vastus medialis. It lies in the middle of the three layers of tissue on that side of the knee, above the deeper capsule and below the fascia. Its importance comes from a detail of geometry: the kneecap only settles into its groove on the femur once the knee has bent through the first part of its range, and until then this ligament is the main thing holding it in place.