Quadriceps Femoris Muscle: Anatomy, Innervation, Function | Kenhub

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Quadriceps femoris muscle (Musculus quadriceps femoris)

The quadriceps femoris muscle, commonly known as the quad muscle, is the strongest muscle of the human body. It is located in the anterior compartment of the thigh, together with the sartorius.

The quadriceps femoris muscle translates to “four-headed muscle” from Latin. It bears this name because it consists of four individual muscles; rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius. Out of all four muscles, only the rectus femoris crosses both the hip and knee joints. The others cross only the knee joint. These muscles differ in their origin, but share a common quadriceps femoris tendon which inserts into the patella. The function of the quadriceps femoris muscle is to extend the leg at the knee joint and to flex the thigh at the hip joint. 

This article will discuss the anatomy and function of the quadriceps femoris muscle.

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