Musculus rectus femoris
The rectus femoris muscle is one of four quadriceps muscles in the anterior compartment of the thigh. It is distinct from the other quadriceps muscles (vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis) in that crosses both the hip and knee joints .
Summary
- origin(s): consists of two proximal heads which form a conjoined tendon
- direct/straight head: anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) of the ilium
- indirect/reflected head: superior acetabular ridge
- insertion: quadriceps tendon
- action: flexes the thigh at the hip joint and extends the leg at the knee joint
- arterial supply: descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery
- innervation: femoral nerve
Gross anatomy
The rectus femoris has two heads with separate origins :
- direct/straight head: AIIS
- indirect/reflected head: superior acetabular ridge
These two tendons merge ~1 cm below their origin to form the conjoined tendon with two components :
- superficial/anterior component: blends more so with the anterior fascia
- deep/posterior component: forms the deep tendon with a long myotendinous junction
There is an intermingling of ~15% of muscle fibers related to each origin, and rectus femoris can be thought of as two muscles . The distal myotendinous junction forms a short free tendon that joins with the vastus tendons to form the quadriceps tendon.
Radiographic features
Ultrasound
Patient in a supine position in hip extension and probe placed of the AIIS in a longitudinal plane :
- direct head: seen directly at the insertion on AIIS
- indirect head: hypoechoic appearance due to oblique course
Related pathology
Rectus femoris muscle injuries in athletes include :
- AIIS avulsion fracture/injury
- direct and indirect head or free tendon injury
- proximal myotendinous junction injury
- intramuscular degloving injury
- distal myotendinous junction injury
Other pathology includes:
Siehe auch:
- Musculus quadriceps femoris
- Musculus vastus medialis
- Musculus vastus intermedius
- Musculus vastus lateralis
und weiter:
Assoziationen und Differentialdiagnosen zu Musculus rectus femoris: