Where is the trochlear groove in the knee

The knee is a complex synovial joint that can be affected by a range of pathologies:. Please Note: You can also scroll through stacks with your mouse wheel or the keyboard arrow keys. Updating… Please wait. Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again. Thank you for updating your details. Log In. Sign Up. Become a Gold Supporter and see no ads.

Log in Sign up. Articles Cases Courses Quiz. About Recent Edits Go ad-free. Edit article. View revision history Report problem with Article. Citation, DOI and article data. Feger, J. Trochlear dysplasia. Reference article, Radiopaedia.

URL of Article. On this page:. Quiz questions. Knee Surg, Sports traumatol, Arthroscopy. Trochlear Dysplasia: Imaging and Treatment Options. A combination of factors can lead to the malalignment of the patella.

Weakness in the quadriceps may allow the patella to track improperly. Tightness in the iliotibial band ITB can pull the patella laterally. A tight Achilles tendon can cause excessive pronation and eversion in the foot which also makes the patella track to the lateral side. Strengthen the quadriceps, hip, and core muscles along with hamstrings and calf muscles. Increase flexibility of knee, hip, and calf muscles. Modify training to allow pain-free training.

This may mean reducing running volume mileage and days per week and limit downhill running. Modify your running mechanics. Rather than landing with the knee extended and with a heel strike first, land on the mid-foot with a shorter stride foot lands more underneath you and slightly increase the cadence. Chondromalacia of the Patella. As the knee bends to about 20 to 30 degrees or so, the patella enters the trochlear groove and slides down the middle of the groove.

In deep flexion like a deep squat the patella actually exits the trochlear groove and sits below the trochlea, resting on the fat pad that sits at the front of the middle of the knee, in front of the ACL.

The sulcus angle is the angle that the deepest part of the trochlear groove makes, which is normally about degrees. The shape and position of the patella in the trochlear groove cannot be measured from an MRI scan.

MRI scans are taken with the patient lying down on a bed, in the tunnel of the scanner. In this position, the kneecap is sitting above the trochlear groove and the MRI pictures of the front of the femur do not show the groove at the correct angle which should be perpendicular to the actual groove.

The only way to properly and accurately measure the shape of the patellofemoral joint is with a Patellar Skyline X-ray.

This is an X-ray taken looking upwards at the front of the knee from the foot up towards the head, with the knee bent to about 30 to 45 degrees.