Which muscle contains the patella embedded in its tendon?

The quadriceps femoris is the muscle that includes the patella embedded in its tendon. This muscle group, located at the front of the thigh, consists of four individual muscles: rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. The patella, or kneecap, acts as a sesamoid bone within the tendon of the quadriceps femoris, enhancing the lever function of the quadriceps muscles during knee extension.

The integration of the patella into the quadriceps tendon serves several important anatomical and functional purposes, including increasing the mechanical advantage of the quadriceps and protecting the knee joint. When the quadriceps contracts, it pulls on the patellar tendon, which then exerts force on the tibia, facilitating knee extension.

While the rectus femoris is a part of the quadriceps group and specifically contributes to the action at the knee, the question seeks to identify the larger muscle group that contains the patella within its tendon structure. Other options, such as biceps femoris and gastrocnemius, do not involve the patella in this manner, as they are located in different muscle groups and do not contribute to the specific action of knee extension as directly as the