Its specific training plays an important role in maintaining patella position and limiting injuries to the knee.

[3] Knee pain is thought to be primarily associated with specific quadriceps muscle weakness or fatigue, especially in the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO).

Misfiring and fatiguing of the VMO causes mal-tracking of the patella and subsequent damage to surrounding structures creating increased force on the knees, often resulting in injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, anterior cruciate ligament rupture, chondromalacia, and tendinitis.

[6] Through the use of electromyography, researchers can evaluate and record the electrical activity produced by the skeletal muscle of the VMO to analyze the biomechanics and detect any possible abnormalities, weakness, or fatigue.

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 471 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)