Ligament · Knee
Oblique popliteal ligament
Ligamentum popliteum obliquum
Reviewed by Dr. Ryan Rietz, D.P.T. and Dr. John Breyman, D.C.
A broad expansion crossing the back of the knee from the inner side upward and outward, and unlike most ligaments it is not an independent structure: it is a slip of the semimembranosus tendon that turns away from the bone and spreads across the capsule to reach the femur above the outer condyle. That gives it an unusual property — a muscle can tighten it. It forms the floor of the popliteal fossa, the diamond-shaped hollow behind the knee, and the popliteal artery lies directly upon it.
Also known as
- OPL
- oblique popliteal