Popliteal Fossa — Concise Notes

Definition & Significance

Sartorius

The sartorius muscle is the most superficial muscle in the anterior compartment of the thigh and is a long strap-like muscle that descends obliquely through the thigh from the anterior superior iliac spine to the medial surface of the proximal shaft of the tibia (see Fig. 6.59 ). Its flat aponeurotic insertion into the tibia is immediately anterior to the insertion of the gracilis and semitendinosus muscles.

Concise Notes – Knee Joint Assessment & Injury

Gluteus Maximus Muscle. Posterior view.

https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/search/posterior%20compartment%20of%20thigh?scrollTo=23-s2.0-mm_9780702073861_0059

Rectus femoris

Unlike the vastus muscles, which cross only the knee joint, the rectus femoris muscle crosses both the hip and the knee joints .

The rectus femoris has two tendinous heads of origin from the pelvic bone:

• one from the anterior inferior iliac spine ( straight head ), and
• the other from a roughened area of the ilium immediately superior to the acetabulum ( reflected head ).

The femoral triangle (Scarpa’s triangle) is a vital anatomical, V-shaped depression located in the upper third of the anterior thigh, inferior to the inguinal ligament.

The medial thigh contains the adductor muscle compartment, primarily responsible for hip adduction and stabilization, innervated mostly by the obturator nerve. Key muscles include the pectineus, gracilis, adductor longus, adductor brevis, and adductor magnus. This compartment houses significant neurovascular structures like the obturator artery and vein. 

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The gluteus maximus is the largest, most superficial muscle of the buttocks, crucial for hip extension, lateral rotation, and maintaining an upright posture. It originates on the ilium, sacrum, and coccyx, inserting into the iliotibial (IT) band and gluteal tuberosity of the femur. It is innervated by the inferior gluteal nerve (

) and supplied by the gluteal arteries.