Patella in Spanish

Where is the patella?

MedlinePlus says the kneecap (patella) sits over the front of the knee joint, and that as the knee bends or straightens, the underside of the patella glides over the bones that make up the knee. The Real Academia Española dictionary places the rótula in the front part of the joint of the tibia with the femur.

The tendons of the kneecap

Strong tendons help attach the kneecap to the bones and muscles that surround the knee. MedlinePlus names two: the patellar tendon, where the kneecap attaches to the shin bone, and the quadriceps tendon, where the thigh muscles attach to the top of the kneecap.

What it means

The patella, or kneecap, is the round-shaped bone covering the knee. MedlinePlus says the kneecap (patella) sits over the front of the knee joint. The Real Academia Española dictionary defines the Spanish word, rótula, as the bone in the front part of the joint of the tibia with the femur. As the knee bends or straightens, the underside of the patella glides over the bones that make up the knee, and strong tendons help attach the kneecap to the bones and muscles that surround the knee. Kneecap dislocation occurs when the patella moves or slides out of place, and anterior knee pain is pain that occurs at the front and center of the knee.

Patella in Spanish

Spanish term: Rótula
Gender and article: feminine: la rótula
Pronunciation: ROH-too-lah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
patela	General	Form MedlinePlus en español adds in parentheses after rótula, where the English page adds "(patella)" after kneecap.

Rótula is a feminine noun in the Real Academia Española dictionary, from Late Latin rotŭla, 'little wheel', "por la forma" (for its shape): la rótula. MedlinePlus en español uses rótula where the English pages say kneecap, and it adds patela in parentheses where the English adds patella: "La rótula (patela) reposa sobre la parte frontal de la articulación de la rodilla."

The adjective on those pages is rotuliano or rotuliana: tendón rotuliano (patellar tendon), condromalacia rotuliana (chondromalacia of the patella) and dislocación rotuliana, which MedlinePlus en español lists among the alternative names for kneecap dislocation. One image title on the anterior knee pain page uses a different adjective, condromalacia patelar. That page also writes articulación femororrotuliana (patellofemoral joint). Other words from the same pages: rodilla (knee), tibia (shin bone), fémur (thigh bone), cartílago (cartilage) and tendón del cuádriceps (quadriceps tendon).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My kneecap slipped out of place when I turned quickly while playing basketball.	La rótula se me salió de lugar cuando giré rápido mientras jugaba al básquetbol.
Clinician	Can you straighten your knee?	¿Puede enderezar la rodilla?
Patient	No, it is stuck and it hurts a lot.	No, está atascada y me duele mucho.
Clinician	Has your kneecap ever slipped out of place before?	¿Se le ha salido de lugar la rótula alguna vez antes?
Clinician	I am going to order an X-ray of your knee to look at the patella.	Voy a pedirle una radiografía de la rodilla para ver la rótula.
Patient	The report says "patella." Is that the same as the kneecap?	El informe dice «patela». ¿Es lo mismo que la rótula?
Clinician	Yes. The patella, or kneecap, is the bone at the front of your knee.	Sí. La patela, o rótula, es el hueso que está en la parte frontal de la rodilla.
Patient	I feel pain at the front of my knee when I go down stairs.	Siento dolor en la parte frontal de la rodilla cuando bajo escaleras.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Patella
Spanish (Español)	Rótula
Chinese (中文)	髕骨
Korean (한국어)	슬개골
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Xương bánh chè
Filipino (Tagalog)	Patela (tuhod na buto)
Portuguese (Português)	Patela
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	กระดูกสะบ้า
Japanese (日本語)	膝蓋骨

Where you'll see it

radiology reportclinic notesdischarge summarychart

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Bones, joints and muscles

All terms in this area: Bones, joints and muscles — Huesos, articulaciones y músculos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.