(Pl. Fabellae)
A small accessory
bone that is present in the knee joints of roughly 1/3 of individuals. Its exact function or purpose, if indeed it has one, is not known, although the fabella has been
associated with a number of knee-related problems.
The bone is so called because, as its Latin-derived name might suggest, it resembles a
little bean.
1.
Recent anatomic studies suggest that the prevalence of fabellae is highest in Asian and
Australian populations, and lowest in
North American ones
2.
Much as Michael revelled in people's
deep-seated disgust for him and always went to lengths to make himself as filthy, grotesque, and loathsome for others as possible, his signature limp and twitchiness- when he wasn't massively exaggerating these things- stemmed mostly from a fabella in his right knee that interfered constantly with various nerves in his leg