A fabella is a little bone which sometimes forms at the back of the knee, within the tendon of the gastrocnemius muscle, like a tiny kneecap at the back of the knee.

Fabella with arrow
The arrow shows the fabella.

 

The fabella is a normal anatomical variant

The fabella is a normal variant in 10-20% of people. The little bone is often wrongly diagnosed by the inexperienced doctor as a 'loose body' or even a 'foreign body' inside the knee. However, in rare cases the fabella causes posterolateral knee pain and surgeons may choose to excise it.

Back to top

 

What is fabella pain syndrome?

In fabella pain syndrome the patient complains of posterolateral knee pain which is worse when the leg is fully extended.

Back to top

 

-

Dr Sheila Strover (Editor)
BSc (Hons), MB BCh, MBA

See biography...