Gemelli and quadratus femoris
Musculi gemelli superior et inferior; musculus quadratus femoris
MuscularDeep musclesPelvisLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- Three small deep rotators behind the hip: the superior gemellus (from the ischial spine) and inferior gemellus (from the ischial tuberosity) run alongside the obturator internus tendon to the greater trochanter; below them quadratus femoris, a flat rectangle, passes from the ischial tuberosity to the quadrate tubercle on the intertrochanteric crest.
- Function
- Laterally rotate the hip and hold the femoral head in its socket.
- Size
- Gemelli about 6-8 cm long and 1 cm thick; quadratus femoris about 7 x 4 cm.
- Clinical note
- With piriformis and the obturators they form the "short external rotators" that are detached and repaired in the posterior approach to hip replacement.