A tendon is a tough fibrous tissue that connects muscle to bone. Tendons can withstand a lot of stress, tension and force. The quadriceps tendon is the largest tendon and one of the most important tendons in the human body. The quadriceps tendon connects the quadriceps group of muscles to the patella, which is commonly called the knee cap. The quadriceps tendon is one of the strongest tendons and is used extensively in human movement.
Quadriceps Tendon Muscles
The quadriceps muscle group is located on the front of the thigh and is made up of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius muscles. All four of the quadricep muscles converge toward the knee and connect to the quadriceps tendon. The lower part of the quadriceps tendon is called the patellar tendon and connects to the lower leg's tibia bone.
Quadriceps Action
The combination of the quadriceps muscles and the long insertion of the strong quadriceps tendon across the front of the knee produces powerful extension, or straightening of the knee joint. Knee joint extension is essential in human locomotion and skills that require running and jumping. A simple test of the strength of the quadriceps muscles is the vertical jump, where you measure how high you can jump above your standing stationary reach.
Strengthening Quadriceps
Almost all sports require strong quadriceps for running and jumping skills, including basketball, baseball, football, track and field, gymnastics and tennis. To reduce the risk of a quadriceps muscle injury, it is very important for athletes to continually work on strengthen the muscles around the knee joint. Many athletes, as part of their conditioning, participate in quadriceps strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges, sitting knee extensions and leg presses.
Prevention of Injuries
A quadriceps tendon rupture, which produces pain and swelling of the knee, usually requires surgery to repair, along with a period of rehabilitation. To help prevent a quadriceps tendon or muscle injury, it is important for you to warm up with leg stretching exercises before you participate in leg strengthening exercises. Many exercise facilities have weight training machines and certified physical trainers who can help you safely participate in exercises for strengthening muscles.
References
- "Manual of Structural Kinesiology"; R.T. Floyd, et al.; 2001
- "Anatomy and Physiology"; Kenneth S. Saladin; 2001
- SportsMD; Patellar Tendon Rupture; Bryson Lesniak, et al.; April 2011
- FitnessVenues.com: Vertical Jump Test
