Muscles of the thigh
Objectives
• Know the type and formation of hip joint.
• Differentiate the stability and mobility between the hip joint
and shoulder joint.
• Identify the muscles that act at the hip joint.
• Identify the muscles of the thigh in terms of their origin,
insertion, nerve supply and actions.
• Explain the relationships of contents of the femoral triangle to
each other & to the surrounding bone and soft tissue
landmarks.
Surface anatomy of the thigh
• Surface features of the
Thigh
– Sartorius muscle
– Quadriceps femoris
muscle
– Adductor longus muscle
– Hamstring muscles
– Femoral triange
Anatomy of the thigh
Thigh is divided to 3
groups of muscles
called compartments.
• Anterior compartment
• Posterior compartment
• Medial compartment
The thigh is divided into 3 compartments
by 3 intermuscular septa (extending from deep fascia into femur)
Anterior Compartment
Extensors of knee:
Quadriceps femoris
Flexors of hip:
1. Sartorius
2. Pectineus
3. psoas major
4. Iliacus
Nerve supply:
Femoral nerve
Medial Compartment
Adductors of hip:
1. Adductor longus
2. Adductor brevis
3. Adductor magnus
(adductor part)
4. Gracilis
Nerve supply:
Obturator nerve
Posterior Compartment
Flexors of knee & extensors of hip:
Hamstrings
Nerve supply:
Sciatic nerve
Medial Compartment of Thigh
MUSCLES:
1. Adductor longus
2. Adductor brevis
3. Adductor magnus
(Adductor portion)
4. Gracilis
ACTION:
ADDUCTION OF HIP JOINT
N.B.: Gracilis also flexes
knee joint
NERVE SUPPLY:
OBTURATOR NERVE
1
2
2
1
4
3
3
Adductor magnus
(Adductor portion)
Adductor magnus
(Hamstring portions)
4
Origin
Body of pubis
Body of pubis
Inferior pubic ramus
Inferior pubic ramus
Ischial ramus
Adductor
part
Hamstring
hiatus
Adductor
hiatus
Adductor longus
Adductor brevis
Adductor magnus
(adductor portion)
Insertion
Posterior border of femur (Linea Aspera)
Gracilis
Upper part of medial
surface of tibia
(behind sartorius)
Medial Compartment
Medial Compartment
Blood Supply:
Obturator artery:
Branch of internal iliac
artery.
Medial Compartment
Innervation:
Obturator nerve.
Tibial nerve:
To hamstring portion of
adductor magnus.
Action:
Adduction
Anterior Compartment of Thigh
Contains the:
 Flexor of the hip:
1. Sartorius
2. Pectineus
3. psoas major
4. Iliacus
 Extensors of knee (Quadriceps
femoris):
1. Rectus femoris
2. Vastus lateralis
3. Vastus medialis
4. Vastus intermedius (deep
to rectus femoris)
 Nerve supply: Femoral nerve
4
3
2
1
2
1
4 Vastus Intermedius
(deep to rectus femoris)
3
Sartorius
ORIGIN
Anterior
superior iliac
spine
S
INSERTION
Upper part of
medial surface
of tibia
ACTION
(TAILOR’S POSITION)
Flexion, abduction &
lateral rotation of hip
joint
Flexion of knee joint
Pectineus
ACTION:
Flexion &
adduction of hip
joint
ORIGIN:
Superior pubic ramus
INSERTION:
Back of femur (below
lesser trochanter)
Iliacus & Psoas major (Iliopsoas)
ORIGIN:
Psoas major: T12 &
lumbar vertebrae
ACTION:
Flexion of hip
joint
Iliacus: Iliac fossa
INSERTION:
Lesser trochanter
of femur
In less than 50 percent of humans the psoas
major is accompanied by the psoas minor. It is
located in front of the psoas major muscle.
Quadriceps Femoris
ORIGIN:
Rectus femoris: Anterior
inferior iliac spine
Vastus intermedius:
Front of shaft of femur
Vastus medialis:
Posterior border of femur
Vastus lateralis:
Posterior border of femur
Quadriceps Femoris
INSERTION:
Into PATELLA
(Patella is a sesamoid
bone)
From patella into
TUBEROSITY OF TIBIA
through Ligamentum
Patellae (Patellar
Ligament)
ACTION:
Extension of
knee joint
Anterior Compartment
Blood Supply:
Femoral Artery:
Superficial circumflex iliac.
Superficial epigastric.
Superficial external pudendal.
Deep external pudendal.
Descending genicular.
Deep femoral (profunda
femoris)
Lateral femoral circumflex.
Medial femoral circumflex.
Anterior Compartment
• Innervation:
Femoral Nerve:
• Action:
Hip flexion.
Knee extension.
Femoral Triangle: Location & Boundaries
• It is a deep hollow in the Upper
third of front of thigh inferior to
the inguinal ligament
Boundaries
• Base: Inguinal ligament
• Medial: Medial border of the
adductor longus muscle
• Lateral: Medial border of the
sartorius muscle
• Floor: (from media to lateral)
•
•
•
•
adductor longus
Pectineus
Psoas major
Iliacus
• Roof: Skin, superficial & deep
fascia.
Iliopsoas
Pectineus
Femoral Triangle: Contents
From lateral to medial:
1. Femoral nerve & its branches
2. Femora artery
3. Femoral vein
4. Lymphatic vessels and some deep
inguinal lymph nodes
5. Contents


•


•

Femoral nerve
Femoral artery & deep (profunda)
femoral branch
Femoral vein
Great saphenous vein (superficial),
draining into femoral vein
Lymphatics
Femoral sheath
ADDUCTOR
CANAL
(Subsartorial/Hunter’s canal)
Adductor hiatus
DEFINITION: an aponeurotic tunnel for femoral artery & vein
SITE: In middle third of front of thigh deep to sartorius
EXTENT: From apex of femoral triangle to adductor hiatus
BOUNDARIES:
 Roof (Anterior): Sartorius (medially) and vastus medialis
(laterally)
 Floor (Posterior): Adductor longus & magnus
POSTERIOR COMPARTMENT OF THE THIGH
CONTENTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Muscles:
Hamstring muscles:
Biceps femoris.
Semitendinosus.
Semimembranosus.
Ischial part of adductor
magnus.
Blood supply:
Branches of the profunda
femoris artery.
Nerve supply:
Sciatic nerve.
Biceps Femoris :
•
•
•
Origin:
– The long head from the ischial
tuberosity.
– The short head from the linea
aspera .
Insertion:
Into the head of the fibula.
Nerve supply:
The long head is supplied by the
tibial part of the sciatic;
the short head is supplied by the
common peroneal part of the sciatic.
Action :
Flexion of knee.
Lateral rotation of flexed leg.
•
Long head: extends hip.
•
•
•
•
SEMITENDINOSUS
•
•
•
•
Origin:
Ischial tuberosity.
Insertion:
Upper part of the medial
surface of the shaft of the tibia
(SGS)..
Nerve supply:
• Tibial portion of the sciatic.
Action:
• Flexes and medially rotates the
leg at the knee joint;
• Extends the thigh at the hip
joint.
SEMIMEMBRANOSUS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Origin:
Ischial tuberosity.
Insertion:
Posterior surface of the medial
condyle of the tibia.
It forms the oblique popliteal
ligament, which reinforces the
capsule on the back of the knee
joint.
Nerve supply:
Tibial portion of the sciatic
nerve.
Action:
Flexes and medially rotates the
leg at the knee joint;
Extends the thigh at the hip.
ADDUCTOR MAGNUS (HAMSTRING PART)
• Origin:
• Ischial ramus and ischial
tuberosity
• Insertion:
• Adductor tubercle of the
medial condyle of the
femur.
• Nerve supply:
• The tibial portion of the
sciatic.
• Action:
• Extends the thigh at the
hip joint.
Posterior compartment of the thigh
Innervation:
•Tibial division of
sciatic nerve
•Except short head of
biceps femoris:
common fibular division
of sciatic nerve
posterior
BLOOD SUPPLY
• The four perforating
branches of the profunda
femoris artery provide a rich
blood supply to this
compartment.
• The profunda femoris vein
drains the greater part of the
blood from the compartment.
NERVE SUPPLY
• Sciatic Nerve
• The sciatic nerve, a branch of
the sacral plexus (L4 and 5; S1,
2, and 3), leaves the gluteal
region as it descends in the
midline of the thigh.
• It is overlapped posteriorly by the
adjacent margins of the biceps
femoris and semimembranosus
muscles.
• It lies on the posterior aspect of
the adductor magnus.
• In the lower third of the thigh it
ends by dividing into the tibial
and common peroneal nerves.
Tensor Fascia Latae
Psoas Major
Iliacus
Rectus Femoris
Vastus Intermedius
DEEP TO RECTUS FEMORIS
Adductor
Longus
Vastus Lateralis
Sartorius
Vastus
Medialis