The thigh muscles are an important part of the leg anatomy. They make up the upper part of the legs and help with a multitude of functions.
It is important to understand the major thigh muscles and the smaller muscles that make up the larger parts. This will help you understand how the muscles work together like a well-oiled machine.
Main thigh muscles
The thigh muscles consist of four primary muscle groups and are an important part of the leg anatomy.
- Quadriceps
- hamstrings
- adductors
- Posterior muscle Maximus
Let’s talk about the thigh muscles in more detail.
Quadriceps
This is the main muscle of the upper thigh. The group of muscles is located towards the front of the thigh and extends all the way to the knee joint. It is composed of the following muscles:
Straight femur
It starts from the ilium bone in the pelvis and ends at the lower leg of the tibia bone. The muscle group is involved in running, kicking and jumping.
Answer in Medial
This muscle starts on the femur and inserts on the tibia and patella. Its primary function is to extend the knee joint and prevent the knee from impinging and collapsing during activities such as jumping and running.
Side waste
This muscle group starts from the greater trochanter of the femur and enters the bones of the tibia and patella. Like the vastus medialis, it is responsible for preventing knee collapse and knee impingement.
Intermediate waste
Like the medialis and lateralis, the intermedius starts from the femur and ends by inserting into the bones of the tibia and patella. It helps in stretching the knee joint and prevents knee collapse and knee impingement.
hamstrings
Among the major thigh muscles, the hamstrings are located towards the back of the thigh and consist of three muscles. The primary function of the hamstring is to bend the knee joint and extend the hip joint.
Bicep femoris
It starts from the ischial tuberosity of the pelvis and ends by inserting onto the head of the fibula bone. Its primary responsibility is knee flexion, hip extension, lateral knee rotation, and assists in running, kicking, and jumping.
Semitendinosus
Like the biceps femoris, it begins at the ischial tuberosity of the pelvis and ends at the medial tibial bone. It has similar responsibilities to the biceps femoris, but also aids in medial rotation of the leg.
Semimembranosus
It begins at the ischial tuberosity of the pelvis and ends by inserting into the condyle of the tibia. Its responsibilities are similar to biceps femoris and semitendinosus.
adductors
The adductors are the main muscles of the inner thigh. It is located on the inside of the thigh and consists of four muscles.
A great leader
It starts at the ischium and pubic bone and ends by inserting into the femur. The adductor major muscle is the largest of the adductor muscles, and it helps with activities such as walking and jumping, and helps maintain stability while sitting and standing.
Adductor longus
It starts at the pubic bone and ends at the femur bone. The adductor longus is a muscle located in the front part of the muscle group. It helps with the same activities as the adductor magnus.
A short introduction
It starts from the pubic bone and ends by inserting into the femur bone. It is located towards the back of the adductor longus with similar responsibilities as the large and longus.
Gracilis
It starts from the pubic bone and inserts into the tibia bone. It is the medial part of the adductor muscle and helps with walking, jumping and running.
Posterior muscle Maximus
This is the final part of the major thigh muscles and is an important component of the gluteal muscles. It is the largest part of the buttocks (buttock) and is an extremely strong muscle in our body.
It starts from the ilium of the pelvic bone and inserts into the femur. The gluteus maximus helps maintain posture and stability during activities such as standing and walking.