Rectus femoris muscle
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| Rectus femoris muscle | ||
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| Muscles of lower extremity | ||
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| Muscles of the iliac and anterior femoral regions. | ||
| Gray's | subject #128 470 | |
| Origin: | anterior inferior iliac spine and the exterior surface of the bony ridge which forms the iliac portion of the acetabulum | |
| Insertion: | inserts into the patellar tendon as on of the four quadriceps muscles | |
| Blood: | ||
| Nerve: | femoral nerve | |
| Action: | ||
The Rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. (The other are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis.) All four combine to form the quadriceps tendon, which inserts into the patella and continues as the patellar ligament.
The Rectus femoris is situated in the middle of the front of the thigh; it is fusiform in shape, and its superficial fibers are arranged in a bipenniform manner, the deep fibers running straight down to the deep aponeurosis. It arises by two tendons: one, the anterior or straight, from the anterior inferior iliac spine; the other, the posterior or reflected, from a groove above the brim of the acetabulum. The two unite at an acute angle, and spread into an aponeurosis which is prolonged downward on the anterior surface of the muscle, and from this the muscular fibers arise. The muscle ends in a broad and thick aponeurosis which occupies the lower two-thirds of its posterior surface, and, gradually becoming narrowed into a flattened tendon, is inserted into the base of the patella.
[edit] Functions:
- Hip Flexion
- Knee Extension
The rectus femoris is the only muscle in the quadriceps group that is involved in hip flexion, since it is the only one that originates in the pelvis and not the femur. Rectus femoris is a weaker hip flexor when the knee is extended because it is already shortened and thus suffers from active insufficiency.
Rectus femoris is not dominant in knee extension when the hip is flexed since it is already shortened and thus suffers from active insufficiency.
[edit] Additional images
 Structures surrounding right hip-joint. |
 The femoral artery. |
 Nerves of the right lower extremity. Front view. |
[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.
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