Four-headed hamstring muscle
Synonyms
Latin: Quadriceps femoris muscle
English: Quadriceps femoris muscle
definition
The quadriceps thigh muscle lies on the front of the thigh and is made up of four parts. As the name suggests, it is made up of four heads that arise in the area of the pelvis and on the upper thigh and adjoin each other in their course towards the knee or lower leg, thus forming the largest thigh muscle.
The four individual muscles have the following proper names:
- Grader muscle of the thigh (Rectus femoris muscle)
- Broad thigh muscle towards the middle of the body (Vastus medialis muscle)
- Middle broad thigh muscle (Vastus intermedius muscle)
- Outer broader thigh muscle (Vastus lateralis muscle)
When the quadruple thigh muscle contracts, it extends the leg in the knee joint.
A special feature of the muscle is that it encompasses the kneecap (patella). This means that his tendons run from the lower thigh around the kneecap to their attachment on the upper lower leg. Bones with this anatomical peculiarity, which also occurs in other parts of the body, are called sesamoid bone.
The famous patellar tendon below the kneecap thus represents the attachment tendon of the four-headed thigh muscle on the lower leg.
course
Grader thigh muscle - rectus femoris muscle
Approach: Roughening of the upper anterior tibia - Tibial tuberosity
Origin: Anterior lower tip of the iliac bone (pelvis) - Anterior inferior iliac spine
Innervation: Femoral nerve (segments L2-L4)
Broad thigh muscle located towards the center of the body - vastus medialis muscle
Approach: Roughening of the upper anterior tibia - Tibial tuberosity
Origin: Inside of the back thigh
Innervation: Femoral nerve (segments L2-L4)
Middle broader thigh muscle - vastus intermedius muscle
Approach: Roughening of the upper anterior tibia - Tibial tuberosity
Origin: Upper two thirds of the thigh bone
Innervation: Femoral nerve (segments L2-L4)
Outer broader thigh muscle - vastus lateralis muscle
Approach: Roughening of the upper anterior tibia - Tibial tuberosity
Origin: Outer part of the thigh, i.a. large rolling mound - Greater trochanter and rough line - Linea aspera
Innervation: Femoral nerve (segments L2-L4)
function
The four-headed thigh muscle is practically entirely for that Stretch out responsible for the legs (extension). Thus, it plays a very important role in everyday movements. The quadriceps femoris muscle is particularly stressed when getting up from a crouch (squat), when taking a full-cocked shot at football or when climbing stairs. But the muscle also stabilizes the knee joint when standing upright. Without him the leg would really buckle.
Even with the diffraction in hip jointSo if you pull your knees towards your chest, for example, the four-headed thigh muscle is involved. However, its role is to be classified as insignificant.
Furthermore, he stabilizes the kneecap by virtue of his tendons, as it were, tightening them. This is important because otherwise the kneecap would come out of its "slide bar" Knee joint would jump out and could no longer fulfill its function.
common illnesses
Typical diseases of the four-headed thigh muscle include, above all, sports injuries such as
Strains or Ruptured muscle fibers. In extreme cases it can also become a complete Muscle tear come.
Furthermore, injuries to the patellar tendon often occur, especially in footballers, such as the Patellar tendon rupture, i.e. the tear in the tendon.
Strengthening and stretching
Overall, the four-headed thigh muscle is used in all movements involving the leg stretched out is trained.
Classic examples are Squats or Climb stairs. Squats are typically performed as follows:
The feet are placed about shoulder-width apart, then you crouch down and straighten yourself up again in an even movement. Athletes like to stretch their arms straight forward to stabilize the body. However, care should always be taken when crouching down to protect the legs not deeper than 90 ° to bend to avoid overloading the knee joint!
To stretch the quadriceps femoris muscle, for example, the One leg stand. You grasp the foot of the bent leg at about the front Ankle joint and bring the foot with the heel to the bottom. Both knees should be close together so that the thighs are virtually parallel to each other.
Synergists: Sartorius muscle (tailor's muscle)
Antagonists: Musculus biceps femoris (two-headed thigh muscle), Musculus semitendinosus (half-tendon muscle), Musculus semimembranosus (semi-membranous muscle)
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