This document provides information on various thigh and pelvic muscles. It identifies and describes the origins, insertions, and actions of muscles in the anterior thigh including the sartorius, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, psoas major/minor, and iliacus. It also covers muscles of the medial thigh such as the gracilis, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, adductor longus, and pectineus. Posterior thigh muscles like the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, piriformis, gemelli, obturator internus/externus

1. Thigh and Pelvic Muscles
"Obstacles are those frightful things
you see when you take your eyes off
your goal."
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

2. Ok Here’s a Joke…
Q. Why are fish easy to weigh?

3. A. They have their own scales.

4. Q. What did the fish say when it ran
into the concrete wall?

5. Dam!

6. Goals and Objectives
 To identify vast majority of leg and pelvic
muscles to class
 For students to be able to identify muscles or
know where they are at end of lesson
 For students to be able to understand
function of muscles in this powerpoint
 To be able to link body movements with
certain muscles for strength training, injury
recognition and for just better understanding
of human movement and function

7. Muscles of Anterior thigh.
Sartorius
Rectus Femoris
Vastus Lateralis
Vastus Intermedius
Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO)
Psoas Major/Minor
Iliacus

8. Anterior
and
medial
thigh.

9. Sartorius
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10. Sartorius
Origin Anterior superior iliac spine
Insertion Superior aspect of the
medial surface of the tibial shaft near
the tibial tuberosity
Action Flexes and laterally rotates the
hip joint and flexes the knee

11. Rectus Femoris
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12. Rectus Femoris
Origin Straight head from anterior
inferior iliac spine; reflected head from
groove just above acetabulum
Insertion Base of patella to form the
more central portion of the quadriceps
femoris tendon
Action Hip Flexion and maybe some
Knee extension.

13. Vastus Lateralis
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Note all Three
Quad muscles
Here.

14. Vastus Lateralis
 Origin Superior portion of intertrochanteric
line, anterior and inferior borders of greater
trochanter, superior portion of lateral lip of
linea aspera, and lateral portion of gluteal
tuberosity of femur
 Insertion Lateral base and border of patella;
also forms the lateral patellar retinaculum
and lateral side of quadriceps femoris
tendon
 Action Extends the knee

15. Vastus Intermedius
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16. Vastus Intermedius
Origin Superior 2/3 of anterior and
lateral surfaces of femur; also from
lateral intermuscular septum of thigh
Insertion Lateral border of patella;
also forms the deep portion of the
quadriceps tendon
Action Extends the knee

17. Vastus Medialis
(VMO)
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Note Oblique shape

18. Vastus Medialis (VMO)
Origin Inferior portion of
intertrochanteric line, spiral line, medial
lip of linea aspera, superior part of
medial supracondylar ridge of femur,
and medial intermuscular septum
Insertion Medial base and border of
patella; also forms the medial patellar
retinaculum and medial side of
quadriceps femoris tendon
Action Extends the knee

19. Psoas
Major/Minor
Psoas

20. Psoas Major/Minor
Origin Anterior surfaces and lower
borders of transverse processes of L1 -
L5 and bodies and discs of T12 - L5
Insertion Lesser trochanter
Action Flex the torso and thigh with
respect to each other

21. Iliacus
Origin Upper 2/3 of iliac fossa of ilium,
internal lip of iliac crest, lateral aspect
of sacrum, ventral sacroiliac ligament,
and lower portion of iliolumbar ligament
Insertion Lesser trochanter
Action Flex the torso and thigh with
respect to each other

22. Iliacus
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Iliacus

23. Take Two……..
 Why don't skeletons like parties?
 They have no body to dance with.
 Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
 He didn't have the guts.

24. Anterior-Medial, to more
Medial
 Gracilis
 Adductor Brevis
 Adductor Magnus
 Adductor Longus
 Pectineus
Anterior Hip (Flexors / rotators)
– Psoas Major / Minor
– Iliopsoas
– Iliacus
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25. Deep medial / Medial muscles
Gracilis
Adductor Brevis
Adductor Magnus
Adductor Longus
Pectineus

26. Gracilis
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Pectineus--->
Gracilis---->

27. Gracilis
Origin Inferior margin of pubic
symphysis, inferior ramus of pubis, and
adjacent ramus of ischium
Insertion Medial surface of tibial shaft,
just posterior to sartorius
Action Flexes the knee, adducts the
thigh, and helps to medially rotate the
tibia on the femur

28. Adductor Brevis and Longus
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<---Brevis
Longus--->

29. Adductor Brevis and Longus
 Origin Anterior surface of body of pubis, just
lateral to pubic symphysis
 Insertion Middle third of linea aspera,
between the more medial adductor magnus
and brevis insertions and the more lateral
origin of the vastus medialis
 Action Adducts and flexes the thigh, and
helps to laterally rotate the hip joint
***what other muscle is similar???? Hint:
“LONG”

30. Adductor Magnus
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31. Adductor Magnus
 Origin Inferior pubic ramus, ischial ramus,
and inferolateral area of ischial tuberosity
 Insertion Gluteal tuberosity of femur, medial
lip of linea aspera, medial supracondylar
ridge, and adductor tubercle
 Action Powerful thigh adductor; superior
horizontal fibers also help flex the thigh,
while vertical fibers help extend the thigh

32. QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.
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magnus Brevis Longus
A
D
D
U
C
T
O
R
S

33. Pectineus

34. Origin-Pecten pubis and pectineal
surface of the pubis
Insertion-Pectineal line of femur
Action-Adducts the thigh and flexes the
hip joint
ADD of hip and Flex of hip
Pectineus

35. QuickTime™ and a
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Quick review

36. Quick Break…..
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Hum??

37. Lateral Muscles
IT-band (Iliotibial)
Tensor Fasciae Latae

38. IT-band (Iliotibial)
 iliotibial band is a longitudinal fibrous
reinforcement of the Fascia lata.
 It is attached to the midpoint of the
external lip of the Iliac crest and to the
lateral condyle of the tibia.
The part of the iliotibial band which lies
beneath the Tensor fasciæ latæ is
prolonged upward to join the lateral
part of the capsule of the hip-joint.

39. IT-band (Iliotibial)
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White Band

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41. Tensor
Fascia Lata
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42. Tensor Fascia Lata
Origin Anterior superior iliac spine,
outer lip of anterior iliac crest and
fascia lata
Insertion Iliotibial band
Action Helps stabilize and steady the
hip and knee joints by putting tension
on the iliotibial band of fascia

43. Posterior Muscles
 Gluteus maximus
 Gluteus medius
 Gluteus minimus
 Deeper “Butt” muscles;
Piriformis
Gamelius Superior and Inferior
Obturator Internus and Exturnus
Quadratus Femoris

44. Take two……….
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45. Power House “The Glutes”
Gluteus Maximus
Gluteus Medius
Gluteus Minimus

46. Gluteus Maximus

47.  Origin-Posterior aspect of dorsal ilium
posterior to posterior gluteal line, posterior
superior iliac crest, posterior inferior aspect
of sacrum and coccyx, and sacrotuberous
ligament
 Insertion-Primarily in fascia lata at the
iliotibial band; also into the gluteal tuberosity
on posterior femoral surface
 Action-Major extensor of hip joint, assists in
laterally rotating the thigh; upper and middle
third section of the muscle are abductors
*Hip Extensor and ER of Hip
Gluteus Max

48. Gluteus Medius

49. Origin-Dorsal ilium inferior to iliac crest
Insertion-Lateral and superior surfaces
of greater trochanter
Action-Major abductor of thigh; anterior
fibers help to rotate hip medially;
posterior fibers help to rotate hip
laterally
*ABD of hip and IR of hip
Gluteus Med

50. Gluteus Minimus

51. Origin-Dorsal ilium between inferior
and anterior gluteal lines; also from
edge of greater sciatic notch
Insertion-Anterior surface of greater
trochanter
Action-Abducts and medially rotates
the hip joint
*ABD of hip and IR of hip
Gluteus Mini

52. Deep “Butt” Muscles

53. Inferior
Gemellus QuickTime™ and a
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54. Inferior Gemellus
Origin Posterior portions of ischial
tuberosity and lateral obturator ring
Insertion Medial surface of greater
trochanter of femur, in common with
obturator internus
Action Rotates the thigh laterally; also
helps abduct the flexed thigh

55. Obturator Internus /
Externus
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Externus

56. Obturator internus
Origin Internal surface of obturator
membrane and posterior bony margins
of obturator foramen
Insertion Medial surface of greater
trochanter of femur, in common with
superior and inferior gemelli
Action Rotates the thigh laterally; also
helps abductabduct the thigh when it is flexed

57. Obturator Externus
Origin External surface of obturator
membrane and anterior bony margins
of obturator foramen
Insertion Posteromedial surface of
greater trochanter of femur
Action Rotates the thigh laterally; also
helps adductadduct thigh

58. Piriformis
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59. Piriformis
Origin Anterior surface of lateral
process of sacrum and gluteal surface
of ilium at the margin of the greater
sciatic notch
Insertion Superior border of greater
trochanter
Action Lateral rotator of the hip joint;
also helps abduct the hip if it is flexed

60. Quadratus Femoris
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<--Here

61. Quadratus Femoris
Origin Lateral margin of obturator ring
above ischial tuberosity
Insertion Quadrate tubercle and
adjacent bone of intertrochanteric crest
of proximal posterior femur
Action Rotates the hip laterally; also
helps adduct the hip

62. Getting
cold…
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63. “Hammies”
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64. Hamstrings
Semitendinosus
Semimembranosus
Biceps Femoris

65. Biceps Femoris

66. Biceps Femoris
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Long Head
Short Head

67. Bicept femoris
Origin posterior portion of the ischial
tuberosity
Insertion Primarily on fibular head;
also on lateral collateral ligament and
lateral tibial condyle
Action Flexes the knee, and also
rotates the tibia laterally; long head
also extends the hip joint

68. Semitendinosus

69. Semitendinosus
Origin From common tendon with long
head of biceps femoris from superior
medial quadrant of the posterior
portion of the ischial tuberosity
Insertion Superior aspect of medial
portion of tibial shaft
Action Extends the thigh and flexes
the knee, and also rotates the tibia
medially, especially when the knee is
flexed

70. Semimembranosus

71. Semimembranosus
Origin Superior lateral quadrant of the
ischial tuberosity
Insertion Posterior surface of the
medial tibial condyle
Action Extends the thigh, flexes the
knee, and also rotates the tibia
medially, especially when the knee is
flexed

72. We… Are… Doneee….
Back to Work!!