The

How Much Do We Need To Know On Muscles?

Guide!

S Porter

Every year students ask me how much detail they need to know on muscles, the tables
below give you the absolute minimum that you need to know to have a fighting
chance of passing

Lower Limb Muscles

This is the least that you need to know for your exams, but if you learn more, then it will
not be wasted.
Muscle

Gluteus maximus
Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus
Tensor fasciae
latae
Piriformis
Superior
gemellus
Obturator
internus
Inferior gemellus
Pectineus
Obturator
externus

Origin
Insertion
outer surface
75% iliotibial
of ilium,
tract and
sacrum,
25% gluteal
coccyx,
tuberosity of
sacrotuberous
femur
ligament
outer surface greater
of ilium
trochanter
outer surface greater
of ilium
trochanter
iliac crest

iliotibial tract

Action
extends & laterally rotates
thigh; through iliotibial tract,
it extends knee joint
abducts thigh. Tilts pelvis
when walking
abduct thigh; anterior fibers
medially rotate thigh
assists gluteus mx in locking
the knee into full extension
lateral rotator of thigh
lateral rotator of thigh
lateral rotator of thigh
lateral rotator of thigh
lateral rotator of thigh

lateral rotator of thigh

Sartorius
Iliacus
Psoas

flexes, abducts, laterally

anterior
upper medial
rotates hip flexes knee like
superior iliac surface of
looking at the sole of your
spine
tibia
own foot.
flexes thigh on trunk; if thigh
lesser
is fixed, it flexes the trunk
iliac fossa
trochanter
onto the thigh as in doing a
sit up
12th thoracic lesser
flexes thigh on trunk; if thigh
body;
trochanter
fixed, it flexes trunk onto
transverse
along with
thigh as in doing a sit up

process,
bodies &
intervertebral
iliacus
discs of the 5
lumbar
vertebrae

Rectus femoris

Vastus lateralis

Vastus medialis

Vastus
intermedius

Gracilis

Adductor longus

Adductor
Adductor

straight head
from anterior
inferior iliac
spine;
reflected
head from
ilium above
acetabulum

quadriceps
tendon into
patella; into
tibial
extension of knee
tuberosity by
patellar
tendon

quadriceps
tendon into
upper end
patella; into
and shaft of tibial
femur
tuberosity by
patellar
tendon
into tibial
upper end
tuberosity by
and shaft of
patellar
femur
tendon
quadriceps
tendon into
patella; into
shaft of femur tibial
tuberosity by
patellar
tendon
inferior ramus upper part of
of pubis;
shaft of tibia
ramus of
on medial
ischium
surface
posterior
surface of
body of pubis shaft of
femur

posterior
inferior ramus surface of
brevis of pubis
shaft of
femur
inferior
ramus
posterior
magnus
of pubis;
surface of
ramus of
shaft of
ischium,
femur near
ischial
linea aspera;
tuberosity
adductor

extension of knee

extension of knee

extension of knee

adducts thigh

adducts thigh; assists in

lateral rotation

adducts thigh; assists in

lateral rotation
adducts thigh and assists in
lateral rotation; hamstring
part extends thigh

tubercle of
femur

Biceps femoris

Semitendinosus

Semimembranos
us

Tibialis anterior

Extensor
digitorum

long head
ischial
tuberosity;
head of fibula
short head
shaft of femur
upper part
ischial
medial
tuberosity
surface of
shaft of tibia
medial
condyle of
ischial
tibia; forms
tuberosity
oblique
popliteal
ligament
shaft of tibia medial
and
cuneiform &
interosseous base of first
membrane
metatarsal
extensor
expansion of
shaft of fibula lateral four
and
toes
interosseous
membrane

Peroneus longus

Peroneus brevis
Gastrocnemius

flexes and medially rotates

leg; extends thigh

flexes and medially rotates

leg; extends thigh

extends the foot; inverts foot

at subtalar and transverse
tarsal joints; supports medial
longitudinal arch

extends toes; dorsiflexes

(extends) foot

dorsiflexes (extends) foot;

everts foot at subtalar and
transverse tarsal joints

Peroneus tertius

Extensor hallucis
longus

flexes and laterally rotates

leg; long head extends thigh

shaft of fibula
base of distal
&
phalanx of
interosseous
big toe
membrane

extends big toe; dorsiflexes

(extends) foot; inverts foot at
subtalar and transverse
tarsal joints
plantar flexes foot; everts
base of 1st
foot at subtalar & transverse
metatarsal &
shaft of fibula
tarsal joints; supports lateral
medial
longitudinal and transverse
cuneiform
arches of foot
plantar flexes foot; everts
base of 5th
foot at subtalar & transverse
shaft of fibula metatarsal
tarsal joints; supports lateral
bone
longitudinal arch
medial and
by way of
plantar flexes ankle, flexes
lateral
Achilles
knee

Plantaris
Soleus

condyles of
tendon to
femur
calcaneum
lateral
supracondyla
r ridge of
femur
by way of
shafts of tibia achilles
and fibula
tendon into
calcaneum

Popliteus
Flexor digitorum
longus

distal
phalanges of
shaft of tibia
lateral four
toes

Tibialis posterior

Extensor
digitorum brevis

powerful plantar flexor of

ankle

flexes knee, unlocks knee by

laterally rotating femur on
shaft of tibia
tibia

lateral
condyle of
femur

Flexor hallucis
longus

plantar flexes foot; flexes

knee

flexes distal phalanges of

lateral four toes; plantar
flexes,supports medial and
lateral longitudinal arches
flexes distal phalanx of big
base of distal
toe; plantar flexes foot;
shaft of fibula phalanx of
supports medial longitudinal
big toe
arch
plantar flexes foot; inverts
shafts of tibia
foot at subtalar and
and fibula & tuberosity of
transverse tarsal joints;
interosseous navicular
supports medial longitudinal
membrane
arch of foot
by four
tendons into
the proximal
phalanx of
calcaneum
big toe and
extends toes,( looks like a
long extensor bruise on top of the foot
tendons to
2nd, 3rd and
4th toes