The knee joint is made up of three bones; the kneecap (patella), the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia). The kneecap normally sits in a v-shaped groove in front of the femur and connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the tibia. The patellofemoral joint is the articulation between the kneecap and the femoral groove (trochlea).
When the kneecap sits and stays in the groove, the joint moves smoothly and you can sit, stand, walk and run easily. However, if the kneecap does not slide in the groove normally it can result in problems and pain. The problems with this joint can be categorized into three main groups. These include:
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- Patellofemoral Instability
- Patellofemoral Arthritis