What is squinting patella?

What is squinting patella?

• A. Patellae rotated medially; tight medial quadriceps/VMO imbalance, weak lateral quadriceps and hip lateral rotators.
• B. Patella tilted laterally due to overpronation.
• C. Patella dislocation due to acute trauma.
• D. Patella tracking perfectly aligned.

Answer: (A)

Squinting patella means the patella faces inward toward the other knee, showing a medial rotation/tilt of the patella on the femur. This pattern comes from an imbalance between the muscles around the knee: the medial side, especially the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), is relatively tight or dominant, while the lateral quadriceps and the hip external rotators are weak. The stronger medial pull overpowers the lateral support, causing the patella to track medially rather than straight over the femur. This medial orientation is a key sign of maltracking and can contribute to anterior knee pain. It’s different from a lateral tilt caused by overpronation, from an acute traumatic dislocation, or from perfectly aligned tracking.

Squinting patella means the patella faces inward toward the other knee, showing a medial rotation/tilt of the patella on the femur. This pattern comes from an imbalance between the muscles around the knee: the medial side, especially the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), is relatively tight or dominant, while the lateral quadriceps and the hip external rotators are weak. The stronger medial pull overpowers the lateral support, causing the patella to track medially rather than straight over the femur. This medial orientation is a key sign of maltracking and can contribute to anterior knee pain. It’s different from a lateral tilt caused by overpronation, from an acute traumatic dislocation, or from perfectly aligned tracking.