Pronator teres muscle

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Pronator teres muscle
Front of the left forearm. Superficial muscles. (Pronator teres labeled at center.)
Latin musculus pronator teres
Gray's subject #125 446
Origin: humeral head: medial epicondyle of humerus
ulnar head: coronoid process of ulna
Insertion: radius
Blood: ulnar artery and radial artery
Nerve: median nerve
Action: Pronation of forearm, flexes elbow
Dorlands/Elsevier m_22/12550260

The pronator teres is a muscle of the human body (located mainly in the forearm) that, along with the pronator quadratus, serves to pronate the forearm (turning it so the palm faces downward).

Contents

[edit] Structure

The pronator teres has two heads--humeral and ulnar.

The humeral head, the larger and more superficial, arises immediately above the medial epicondyle of the humerus and from the common flexor tendon.

The ulnar head is a thin fasciculus, which arises from the medial side of the coronoid process of the ulna, and joins the preceding at an acute angle.

The median nerve enters the forearm between the two heads of the muscle, and is separated from the ulnar artery by the ulnar head.

The muscle passes obliquely across the forearm, and ends in a flat tendon, which is inserted into a rough impression at the middle of the lateral surface of the body of the radius, just below the insertion of the supinator.

The lateral border of the muscle forms the medial boundary of triangular hollow known as the cubital fossa, which is situated in front of the elbow-joint.

[edit] Innervation

The pronator teres is innervated by the median nerve.

[edit] Variations

Occasionally, the ulnar head is absent. Also, additional slips from the medial intermuscular septum, from the biceps brachii, and from the brachialis occasionally occur.

[edit] Clinical aspects

"Pronator teres syndrome" is one common cause of wrist pain.

[edit] See also


[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Muscles of the HeadNeckTrunkUpper limbLower limbLIST OF ALL MUSCLES

VERTEBRAL COLUMN: trapezius | latissimus dorsi | rhomboid major | rhomboid minor | levator scapulae | (Gray's s121)

ANTERIOR AND LATERAL THORACIC WALLS: pectoralis major | pectoralis minor | subclavius | serratus anterior | (Gray's s122)

SHOULDER: deltoid | rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor) | teres major | (Gray's s123)

ARM: coracobrachialis | biceps brachii | brachialis | triceps brachii | (Gray's s124)

FOREARM: Volar super. | pronator teres | palmaris longus | flexor carpi radialis | flexor carpi ulnaris | flexor digitorum superficialis
Volar deep | flexor digitorum profundus | flexor pollicis longus | pronator quadratus
Dorsal super. | brachioradialis | extensor digitorum | extensor carpi radialis longus | extensor digiti minimi | extensor carpi radialis brevis | extensor carpi ulnaris | anconeus
Dorsal deep | supinator | abductor pollicis longus | extensor pollicis brevis | extensor pollicis longus | extensor indicis | (Gray's s125)

HAND: Lateral volar | abductor pollicis brevis | thenar (opponens pollicis, flexor pollicis brevis, adductor pollicis)
Medial volar | palmaris brevis | hypothenar (abductor minimi digiti, flexor digiti minimi brevis, opponens digiti minimi)
Intermediate | lumbrical | dorsal interossei | palmar interossei | (Gray's s126)