Our study has few limitations. Inter individual differences between specimens’ height were not considered in the present study. An other important limitation is that the quadriceps tendon was investigated in embalmed cadaveric specimens from elderly donors. Age-related muscle atrophy may well have distorted some results. In addition, embalmed tissue has been reported to shrink by 2.2 to 12 % (Cutts 1988; Friederich & Brand 1990). This could have affected absolute values for variables such as measured fusing points of each layer, their distance to the patella and the distances between the fusing points of the quadriceps tendon and therefore are not likely to be representative of normal healthy adults. Nevertheless, the fundamental architecture of the quadriceps muscle group is likely to have been preserved. Considering the complexity of the quadriceps tendon further investigation of its morphology in healthy young individuals is warranted.