Quadriceps femoris muscle
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| Quadriceps femoris muscle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Muscles of lower extremity. (Rectus femoris removed to reveal the vastus intermedius.) | |
| Latin | musculus quadriceps femoris |
| Gray's | subject #128 470 |
| Origin | combined rectus femoris and vastus muscles |
| Insertion | tibial tuberosity |
| Artery: | femoral artery |
| Nerve: | Femoral nerve |
| Action: | Knee extension; Hip flexion (R.Fem. only) |
| Dorlands /Elsevier | m_22/12550408 |
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Overview
The quadriceps femoris (quadriceps, quadriceps extensor, guads or quads) includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the great extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large fleshy mass which covers the front and sides of the femur.
It is subdivided into separate portions, which have received distinctive names.
- Rectus femoris occupies the middle of the thigh, covering most of the other three quadriceps muscles. It originates on the ilium. It is named from its straight course.
- The other three lie deep to rectus femoris and originate from the body of the femur, which they cover from the trochanters to the condyles:
- Vastus lateralis is on the lateral side of the femur.
- Vastus medialis is on the medial side of the femur.
- Vastus intermedius lies between vastus lateralis and vastus medialis on the front of the femur.
All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach to the patella via the quadriceps tendon.
The quadriceps is also involved in Lombard's Paradox.
Actions
All four quadriceps are powerful extensors of the knee joint. They are crucial in walking, running, jumping and squatting. Because rectus femoris attaches to the ilium, it is also a flexor of the hip. This action is also crucial to walking or running as it swings the leg forward into the ensuing step.
Additional images
 Knee diagram |
 Capsule of right knee-joint (distended). Lateral aspect. |
 Cross-section through the middle of the thigh. |
 Anterior aspect of right leg. |
 Front and medial aspect of right thigh. |
 Lateral aspect of right leg. |
 The leg extension is an isolation exercise. |
External links
- Duke Orthopedics quadriceps_muscle
- Muscles/Quadriceps at exrx.net
- Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 39960.000-1
- Anatomy of the Quadriceps Muscles - Fitstep.com
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.
de:Musculus quadriceps femorisfr:Muscle quadriceps fémoralhe:השריר הארבע ראשיfi:Nelipäinen reisilihas sv:Quadriceps
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
