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Information about Quadriceps Femoris Muscle

Muscles of lower extremity. (Rectus femoris removed to reveal the vastus intermedius.)
Latinmusculus quadriceps femoris
subject #128 470
Origin:combined rectus femoris and vastus muscles
Insertion:
Artery:femoral artery
Nerve:Femoral nerve
Action:Knee extension; Hip flexion (R.Fem. only)
Antagonist:Hamstring
Dorlands/Elsevier m_22/12550408
"Quads" redirects here. For other uses see Quad
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

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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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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Muscles of lower limbs
ILIAC REGION/ILIOPSOASpsoas major - psoas minor - iliacus
BUTTOCKSgluteals: (maximus, medius, minimus) - tensor fasciae latae
lateral rotator group: piriformis - obturator externus - obturator internus - inferior gemellus - superior gemellus - quadratus femoris
THIGHanterior compartment: sartorius - quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis) - articularis genu
medial compartment/adductor: gracilis - pectineus - adductor brevis - adductor longus - adductor magnus
posterior compartment/hamstring: biceps femoris - semitendinosus, semimembranosus
LEGanterior compartment: tibialis anterior - extensor hallucis longus - extensor digitorum longus - fibularis tertius
posterior compartment: superficial - calf/triceps surae (gastrocnemius, soleus) - plantaris deep - popliteus - tarsal tunnel (flexor hallucis longus - flexor digitorum longus - tibialis posterior)
lateral compartment: fibularis muscles (longus - brevis)
FOOTdorsal - extensor digitorum brevis - extensor hallucis brevis
plantar first layer - abductor hallucis - flexor digitorum brevis - abductor digiti minimi
plantar second layer - quadratus plantae - lumbrical muscle
plantar third layer - flexor hallucis brevis - adductor hallucis - flexor digiti minimi brevis
plantar fourth layer - dorsal interossei - plantar interossei
The Rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. (The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis.
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The Vastus intermedius (Crureus) arises from the front and lateral surfaces of the body of the femur in its upper two-thirds and from the lower part of the lateral intermuscular septum.
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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bold refer to the diagram at right.)

In the skull (8):
  • 1-9. cranium
  • 7. mandible
''In the middle ears (6):
  • malleus
  • incus
  • stapes
In the throat (1):
  • hyoid
In the shoulder girdle (4):
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The Rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. (The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis.
..... Click the link for more information.
bold refer to the diagram at right.)

In the skull (8):
  • 1-9. cranium
  • 7. mandible
''In the middle ears (6):
  • malleus
  • incus
  • stapes
In the throat (1):
  • hyoid
In the shoulder girdle (4):
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Arteries are muscular blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.[1] All arteries, with the exception of the pulmonary and umbilical arteries, carry oxygenated blood.

The circulatory system is extremely important for sustaining life.
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The femoral artery is a large artery in the muscles of the thigh.

Structure

The femoral artery is a continuation of the external iliac artery, which comes from the abdominal aorta.
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  • Accessory nerve
  • Accessory obturator nerve
  • Alderman's nerve
  • Anococcygeal nerve
  • Ansa cervicalis
  • Anterior interosseous nerve
  • Anterior superior alveolar nerve
  • Aortic plexus
  • Auerbach's plexus
  • Auriculotemporal nerve
  • Axillary nerve

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The femoral nerve, the largest branch of the lumbar plexus, arises from the dorsal divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves. It descends through the fibers of the Psoas major, emerging from the muscle at the lower part of its lateral border, and passes down between
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Kinesiology is the scientific study of the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement, especially in humans. [1] The word kinesiology is derived the Greek "kinesis" (motion) + the suffix -ology or -logy from the greek "logos" or "logia"(meaning a field of study).
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In human anatomy, the knee is the lower extremity joint connecting the femur and the tibia. Since in humans the knee supports nearly the entire weight of the body, it is the joint most vulnerable both to acute injury and to the development of osteoarthritis.
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Extension is a movement of a joint. For example, extension is produced by extending the flexed elbow. The arm is now straight; it has been extended. If the head is tilted all the way back, it is said to be extended.

The movement in the opposite directions is called flexion.
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hip is the bony projection of the femur which is known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. The hip joint is the joint between the femur and acetabulum of the pelvis and its primary function is to support the weight of the body in both static
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flexion is a position that is made possible by the joint angle decreasing. The skeletal (bones, cartilage, and ligaments) and muscular (muscles and tendons) systems work together to move the joint into a "flexed" position.
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An antagonist is a kind of muscle that acts in opposition to the movement generated by the agonist and is responsible for returning a limb to its initial position.

Antagonistic pairs in houses

These antagonistic muscles are found in pairs called antagonistic pairs.
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In human anatomy, a hamstring refers to one of the tendons that makes up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the tendons of the semitendinosus, the semimembranosus, and the biceps femoris.
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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QUaD[1], an acronym for QUEST at DASI, is a ground based cosmic microwave backrground (CMB) polarization experiment located at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm T
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In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and buttocks and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.

The single bone in the thigh is called the femur.
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An extensor muscle is any skeletal muscle that opens a joint increasing the angle between components of a limb, such as straightening the knee or elbow and bending the wrist or spine. With the exception of the knee joint the movement is directed backward.
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The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of mammalian bodies. It forms part of the hip and part of the knee.

The word femur is Latin for thigh.
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The Rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. (The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis.
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Ilion or Ilium may refer to:
  • Ilion or Ilium, alternative names for the legendary city of Troy
  • Ilio, Greece, a suburb of Athens, Greece, also known as Nea Liossia
  • Ilion, New York, a village in Herkimer County, New York

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The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of mammalian bodies. It forms part of the hip and part of the knee.

The word femur is Latin for thigh.
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Trochanter is a part of the thigh bone. It can refer to:
  • Greater trochanter
  • Lesser trochanter
  • Third trochanter
  • Fourth trochanter

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Condyle L. fr. G. kondylos, knuckle, the knuckle of any joint, a round projection, rounded articular area (ex. condyles of the femur) one of the markings/features of bones, can refer to:
  • Lateral condyle
  • Medial condyle

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The Vastus lateralis (Vastus externus) is the largest part of the Quadriceps femoris. It arises by a broad aponeurosis, which is attached to the upper part of the intertrochanteric line, to the anterior and inferior borders of the greater trochanter, to the lateral lip of the
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The vastus medialis, often called the 'teardrop' muscle, is a medially located muscle of the quadriceps.

Function

Vastus medialis has been widely reported to be responsible for extending the leg the last 10%, however this commonly held claim has no basis, indeed
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The Vastus intermedius (Crureus) arises from the front and lateral surfaces of the body of the femur in its upper two-thirds and from the lower part of the lateral intermuscular septum.
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