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Materials needed

For this activity you’ll need:

  1. The worksheet for this activity (either opened in a PDF viewer on a desktop/tablet computer or printed out).

Screenshot of the first page of the "What are the functions of the knee ligaments?" activity worksheet

  1. A Human Knee Active Learning Kit (Basic or Full model). You do not need any of the muscles for this activity or the patella. If your knee kit has muscles attached, detach all the muscles and attach them to their designated spot on the parts plate(s) (see instructions for detaching muscles). You can leave the patella to hang from the patellar ligament or you can remove the patella by unscrewing the screw behind the patellar ligament using the Allen wrench. Also be sure that your knee kit has the Iliotibial (IT) tract/band attached; this is one of the ligaments you will knock out. Once you've finished preparing your knee for this activity, it should look like one of the images below.

Photo of the knee kit from a lateral view with all of the muscles removed and the patella hanging loose, left, or removed, right and black arrows indicating the IT band/tract

The knee kit with all of the muscles detached and with the patella either hanging loose by the patellar ligament (left) or with the patella removed (right). The black arrow in each photo indicates the IT band/tract.

While this activity can be done with the Mini Knee Kit Model, be aware that the IT tract is a significant stabilizer of the knee. Since the Mini model does not include an IT tract, your results will not include its contributions. If you're doing this activity without an IT tract, it's best to assume that any conclusions you draw are for a knee in which the IT tract is already damaged or without taking into account its contributions.

    1. The following items from Parts Plate A in your knee kit:
    • Hex key (also called an Allen wrench)
    • Ruler

    Photo of M3 hex key and 12 cm ruler

    The hex key (top) and ruler (bottom) from your kit. The hex key in your kit may differ in color or shape from the image above.

    Photo of Parts Plate A with manual muscle cords, ruler, quad muscles, and hex key attached. Arrows and labels indicate the ruler and hex key.

    The ruler and hex key should be attached to Parts Plate A in your kit. The ruler fits into grooved holder on the left side and the hex key fits into a holder in the bottom right corner. The hex key in your kit may differ in color or shape from the image above.

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