Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

The Transition to an Anterior-Based Muscle Sparing Approach Improves Early Postoperative Function but is Associated with a Learning Curve
Published on: September 7, 2022
The anterior compartment in modern knee arthroplasty
Joseph X Robin1, Ajit Deshmukh, Morteza Meftah
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Abstract:
While there have been great advancements in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) over the past 50 years, anterior knee pain (AKP) remains the most common concern among patients postoperatively. Despite exhausting evidence supporting no clinical difference in AKP with resurfaced vs. unresurfaced patellae in TKA, 87% of TKAs are resurfaced in the United States, compared with 2% in other countries. These large practice variations underscore a lack of consensus regarding the role of the patella and the approach to the anterior compartment of the knee in TKA. The aim of this review was to go beyond patellar resurfacing and describe the effects that surgical technique and implant design may have on AKP in current TKA.
Related Concept Videos
Knee Joint
A total of seven ligaments support the knee joint. The patellar ligament, which is also attached to the quadriceps femoris group...
Muscles that Move the Leg
Anterior Compartment
The quadriceps femoris, the most visible muscle of the anterior compartment, is integral for leg extension and thigh flexion. It is formed by merging four distinct muscles — the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris. The quadriceps tendon, a shared tendon of the four quadriceps muscles, is affixed to...
Bones of the Lower Limb: Femur and Patella
Arteries of Lower Limbs