Injuries to the popliteus tendon are less frequent than injuries to the menisci or ligamentous structures of the knee. When they do occur, injuries to the popliteus tendon tend to be the result of trauma and associated with injuries to other components of the knee. The most commonly seen injuries include tears at the musculotendinous junction and avulsion tears at the lateral femoral condyle insertion site. This report presents two unusual injuries of the popliteus tendon in patients with chronic knee pain: an isolated split tear of the tendon and a subluxed tendon residing within the lateral joint space.
Keywords: knee; popliteus tendon; posterolateral corner; split tear; subluxation.