Knee A to Z

QALY is an abbreviation for quality-adjusted life year (or quality-adjusted life-year) and is a generic measure of disease burden.

The Q-angle is a measurement that gives an indication of the likelihood of excessive forces tending to pull the patella over to the outer (lateral) side. Page updated June 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

The Quadriceps angle of the knee is a measurement of the angle between the quadriceps muscles and the patellar tendon and provides useful information about the alignment of the knee joint.

Quadriceps atrophy is the physical wasting of the quadriceps muscle.

Quadriceps inhibition is a problem that may occur when the knee is very painful, triggering a reflex that inhibits the muscle from contracting. Page updated May 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

A 'quadriceps lag' or 'extension lag' is present when a patient cannot fully 'actively' extend the knee (straighten the leg using muscle contraction), but it can be fully 'passively' extended by the clinician. This implies that there is nothing obstructing the joint. Page updated June 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

The quadriceps (or 'quads') muscle is the large muscle at the front of the thigh, and is composed of four heads. Page updated September 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

Quadricepsplasty is an open surgical procedure to release the rectus femoris part of the quadriceps muscle when adhesions have tied it down to the underlying vastus intermedius muscle. Page updated March 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

Quadriceps tendinitis is an overuse disorder of the quadriceps tendon.

Quadriceps tendinopathy is an overuse condition, where the attachment of the quadriceps tendon to the upper pole of the patella (kneecap) becomes painful. Page updated March 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)