Oblique popliteal ligament

Ligament: Oblique popliteal ligament
Right knee-joint. Posterior view. (Oblique popliteal ligament visible at center.)
Latin	ligamentum popliteum obliquum
Gray's	subject #93 340
From	lateral epicondyle of the femur, lateral condyle of femur
To	medial condyle of tibia
Dorlands/Elsevier	l_09/12492857

The oblique popliteal ligament (posterior ligament) is a broad, flat, fibrous band, formed of fasciculi separated from one another by apertures for the passage of vessels and nerves.

It is attached above to the upper margin of the intercondyloid fossa and posterior surface of the femur close to the articular margins of the condyles, and below to the posterior margin of the head of the tibia.

Superficial to the main part of the ligament is a strong fasciculus, derived from the tendon of the Semimembranosus and passing from the back part of the medial condyle of the tibia obliquely upward and lateralward to the back part of the lateral condyle of the femur.

The oblique popliteal ligament forms part of the floor of the popliteal fossa, and the popliteal artery rests upon it.

Additional images

• 

  Sagittal section of right knee-joint.

External links

• Duke Orthopedics oblique_popliteal_ligament
• lljoints at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (postkneejointsuperfic)
• SUNY Labs 17:02-0400 - "Major Joints of the Lower Extremity: Knee Joint"

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.