What is the back of the knee called

The back of the knee is generally called the popliteal fossa. The popliteal fossa plays a very important role in the knee joint. If there is an abnormality in the popliteal fossa, it will not only affect people's daily life, but also their physical health. It must be treated in time, and the popliteal fossa needs to be protected at ordinary times. In daily life, it is very important to develop good living habits and eating habits, which can avoid the occurrence of many diseases.

The popliteal fossa is a diamond-shaped depression behind the knee. The upper and outer boundaries are the biceps femoris tendon, the upper and inner boundaries are mainly the semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles, and the lower and inner and outer boundaries are the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius respectively. The top (superficial surface) of the popliteal fossa is the popliteal fascia, which is the continuation of the fascia lata of the thigh and moves downward to become the deep fascia of the calf. The popliteal fascia is composed of longitudinal and transverse interwoven fibers, which are dense and tough. When suffering from popliteal cyst or popliteal artery aneurysm, there will be obvious swelling and pain due to the restriction of the popliteal fascia. The popliteal fossa floor from top to bottom includes: the popliteal surface of the femur, the posterior part of the knee joint capsule and the oblique popliteal ligament, the popliteal muscle and its fascia.

The popliteal fossa contains important blood vessels and nerves, including, from superficial to deep: the tibial nerve, popliteal vein, and popliteal artery. The common peroneal nerve passes through the fibular head at its outer upper boundary.

The tibial nerve is located at the most superficial surface of the popliteal fossa. It branches off from the sciatic nerve at the upper corner of the popliteal fossa, runs down along the midline of the popliteal fossa, passes through the soleus tendon arch at the lower edge of the popliteal muscle, and enters the posterior region of the calf.

The common peroneal nerve is another terminal branch of the sciatic nerve. It usually originates from the upper corner of the popliteal fossa, runs outward and downward along the medial edge of the biceps femoris tendon, crosses the surface of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle, to the bottom of the fibular head, and goes around the fibular neck, where it is divided into the superficial peroneal nerve and the deep peroneal nerve. The common peroneal nerve is close to the bone surface at the fibular neck and is not covered by muscle tissue. When the common peroneal nerve is damaged, it can cause paralysis of the anterior and lateral calf muscles, leading to foot drop.

The popliteal artery is the continuation of the femoral artery and is located deepest, close to the popliteal surface of the femur and the posterior part of the knee joint capsule. The upper part of the popliteal artery is located on the medial side of the tibial nerve, the middle part is located in front of the nerve, and the lower part turns to the lateral side of the nerve. The popliteal vein is formed by the union of the anterior and posterior tibial veins and is located deep to the tibial nerve. The small saphenous vein passes through the popliteal fascia at the inferior angle of the popliteal fossa and empties into the popliteal vein. The popliteal vein ascends through the adductor tendon hiatus and continues with the femoral vein.

Common causes and treatments of popliteal fossa pain in the knee

First, it is possible that you are too tired at work during the day, or stand or sit for a long time, and your legs do not get enough rest. When you sleep at night, you may feel discomfort in your legs and muscle soreness. In this case, just take some rest.

Second, there may be calcium deficiency. Osteoporosis. Some patients with osteoporosis may experience leg cramps at night, and some may have obvious pain in the popliteal fossa. If you suspect this possibility, it is best to go to the hospital for a bone density test. If osteoporosis is diagnosed. Need to take oral drugs that cannot resist CNC.

Third, something grows in the popliteal fossa, such as a popliteal cyst, a neurothecoma, etc. Local compression can also cause popliteal pain. Such symptomatic masses may require surgical removal.

Fourth, synovitis of the knee joint. In particular, synovitis of the posterior compartment can cause localized pain.

Fifth, soft tissue injuries such as posterior meniscus injury and ligament injury of the knee joint. Most of these cases have a history of trauma. Of course, some patients have no obvious external injuries.

In short, if you experience popliteal pain, you can rest for a few days and then go to the hospital to get some non-steroidal drugs. If there is no relief after one to two weeks, it is best to go to the hospital for a physical examination by a doctor. If you suspect osteoporosis, you can consider a bone density test. If you suspect problems within the knee joint, you can do an MRI of the knee joint. Further treatment will be based on the examination results.