Rectus femoris
Musculus rectus femoris
MuscularSuperficial musclesLegLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- The only quadriceps head that crosses the hip: a spindle-shaped, bipennate muscle running straight down the front of the thigh from the anterior inferior iliac spine (straight head) and the rim above the acetabulum (reflected head) to the quadriceps tendon, patella and, via the patellar ligament, the tibial tuberosity.
- Function
- Extends the knee and flexes the hip - the main kicking muscle.
- Size
- About 35-40 cm long; belly up to 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick.
- Clinical note
- The most frequently strained quadriceps muscle (sprinting, kicking) because it crosses two joints; in adolescents its origin can avulse from the AIIS.