Fabella, a tine bone in the tendon of the knee, which was disappeared on the Evolution of the Human Being, has been recently discovered by the scientists. The literal meaning of Fabella is a little bean. It is expected to make a comeback and is embedded in tendons.
It is observed to be common in human by three times as compared to the century ago, as reported by the scientists in the Journal of Anatomy. The observations were made by Imperial College London over 21,000 knees across 27 countries from the results of dissections, X-rays and MRI scanning.
The records dated back to 1875 shows the presence of fabella at 17.9% of the population. However, in 1918 it was present in 11.9% of the population. The recent study in 2018 discloses that it is present in 39% of the population.
This bone has been linked to the inflammation, arthritis and other knees problems. The people facing osteoarthritis are exposed to 100% more than the people who do not suffer from this syndrome.
For Old world Monkey, fabella served as the knee cap. Gradually as we evolved as the Ape and Chimpanzee, the need of fabella lost. And today, this bone just causes the problems.
However, the interesting question is – Why this bone is making a comeback? Well, sesamoid bones like this are the result of mechanic forces. As the humans are more nourished compared to their ancestors and appear to be heavier and tall leading to the pressure on their knees. This is the prime reason why fabella is found to be more common nowadays.
Less than ½ inches in diameter, this fifth bone is meant to relieve the extra pressure put over the knees due to the extra weight. Some experts suggest that the fabella should be removed as about 20% of the sufferers of painful condition osteoarthritis are twice likely to have this fifth bone.
The experts believe that fabella creates uneven forces leading to the damage to the cartilage. Especially after knee replacement surgery, it may cause pain as the extra bone stays by burrowing into the thigh.
