Patella – why do we have a patella?

Ever wondered why we have such nobbly knees?
Why does the knee have a knee cap, but the elbow doesn’t have an elbow cap?

The patella is a sesamoid bone, meaning that it sits embedded within a tendon (or muscle).

What is the function of the patella?

The patella acts to raise the tendon away from the rest of the knee joint. This increases the efficiency of the knee joint when it is nearly straight, in fact over the final 30 degrees of extension.

Did you know:
In 2015 it was revealed that some people actually have a second bone within the patella tendon.
Why do they have it?

References:

Orthopedic Assessment