Corpus: Medial patellofemoral ligament

The medial patellofemoral ligament, or MPFL for short, is a triangular ligament of the kneecap. It is part of the medial capsule-ligament structures of the knee joint.

The MPFL is an important stabilizer of the patella. Together with the medial patellar retinaculum and the oblique part of the vastus medialis muscle, it forms the medial patellofemoral complex (MPFC).

The MPFL inserts at the superomedial aspect of the patella and extends from there to the area between the adductor tuberosity and the medial femoral epicondyle. It connects to the medial collateral ligament of the knee and the adductor magnus muscle. The ligament is taut during knee extension and relaxed during flexion.

A rupture of the MPFL often occurs with a patellar dislocation, which typically requires surgical reconstruction.

• Springer Medicine, The medial patellofemoral ligament, accessed 10/08/2023
• Loeb A. E. et al, The medial patellofemoral complex, Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 11(2), 201-208, 2018
• Hempfling H. et al, Femoropatellar joint, value of histopathological diagnostics, Neurology, Psychiatry, 2022, Germany, De Gruyter