The pectineus muscle (, from the Latin word ''pecten'', meaning comb) is a flat, quadrangular

muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of mus ...

, situated at the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

(front) part of the upper and medial (inner) aspect of the

thigh In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip ( pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of ...

. The pectineus muscle is the most anterior adductor of the hip. The muscle does

adduct An adduct (from the Latin ''adductus'', "drawn toward" alternatively, a contraction of "addition product") is a product of a direct addition of two or more distinct molecules, resulting in a single reaction product containing all atoms of all co ...

and internally rotate the thigh but its primary function is hip flexion. It can be classified in the

medial compartment of thigh The medial compartment of thigh is one of the fascial compartments of the thigh and contains the hip adductor muscles and the gracilis muscle. The obturator nerve is the primary nerve supplying this compartment. The obturator artery is the bl ...

(when the function is emphasized) or the

anterior compartment of thigh The anterior compartment of thigh contains muscles which extend the knee and flex the hip. Structure The anterior compartment is one of the fascial compartments of the thigh that contains groups of muscles together with their nerves and blood s ...

(when the nerve is emphasized).

Structure

The pectineus muscle arises from the pectineal line of the pubis and to a slight extent from the surface of bone in front of it, between the

iliopectineal eminence Medial to the anterior inferior iliac spine is a broad, shallow groove, over which the iliacus and psoas major muscles pass. This groove is bounded medially by an eminence, the iliopubic eminence (or iliopectineal eminence), which marks the point o ...

and

pubic tubercle The pubic tubercle is a prominent tubercle on the superior ramus of the pubis bone of the pelvis. Structure The pubic tubercle is a prominent forward-projecting tubercle on the upper border of the medial portion of the superior ramus of the ...

, and from the fascia covering the anterior surface of the muscle; the fibers pass downward, backward, and lateral, to be inserted into the pectineal line of the femur which leads from the

lesser trochanter The lesser trochanter is a conical posteromedial bony projection of the femoral shaft. it serves as the principal insertion site of the iliopsoas muscle. Structure The lesser trochanter is a conical posteromedial projection of the shaft of the fe ...

to the

linea aspera The linea aspera ( la, rough line) is a ridge of roughened surface on the posterior surface of the shaft of the femur. It is the site of attachments of muscles and the intermuscular septum. Its margins diverge above and below. The linea aspera ...

Relations

The pectineus is in relation by its anterior surface with the pubic portion of the

fascia lata The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular sep ...

, which separates it from the

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the f ...

and

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...

and internal saphenous vein, and lower down with the

profunda femoris artery The deep artery of the thigh, (profunda femoris artery or deep femoral artery) is a large branch of the femoral artery. It travels more deeply (posteriorly) than the rest of the femoral artery. Structure The deep artery of the thigh branches of ...

. By its posterior surface with the capsule of the hip joint, and with the

obturator externus The external obturator muscle, obturator externus muscle (; OE) is a flat, triangular muscle, which covers the outer surface of the anterior wall of the pelvis. It is sometimes considered part of the medial compartment of thigh, and sometimes c ...

and

adductor brevis The adductor brevis is a muscle in the thigh situated immediately deep to the pectineus and adductor longus. It belongs to the adductor muscle group. The main function of the adductor brevis is to pull the thigh medially. The adductor brevis ...

, the

obturator artery The obturator artery is a branch of the internal iliac artery that passes antero-inferiorly (forwards and downwards) on the lateral wall of the pelvis, to the upper part of the obturator foramen, and, escaping from the pelvic cavity through the ob ...

and

being interposed. By its external border with the

psoas major The psoas major ( or ; from grc, ψόᾱ, psóā, muscles of the loins) is a long fusiform muscle located in the lateral lumbar region between the vertebral column and the brim of the lesser pelvis. It joins the iliacus muscle to form the ilio ...

, the

resting upon the line of interval. By its internal border with the outer edge of the adductor longus.

Obturator foramen The obturator foramen (Latin foramen obturatum) is the large opening created by the ischium and pubis bones of the pelvis through which nerves and blood vessels pass. Structure It is bounded by a thin, uneven margin, to which a strong membran ...

is situated directly behind this muscle, which forms one of its coverings. It forms part of the floor of the femoral triangle.

Innervation

The lumbar plexus is formed from the anterior rami of nerves L1 to L4 and some fibers from T12. With only five roots and two divisions, it is less complex than the brachial plexus and gives rise to a number of nerves including the femoral nerve and accessory obturator nerve. The pectineus muscle is considered a composite muscle as the innervation is by the

femoral nerve The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the anterior compartment of the thigh. It is the largest ...

(L2 and L3) and occasionally (20% of the population) a branch of the

obturator nerve The obturator nerve in human anatomy arises from the ventral divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves in the lumbar plexus; the branch from the third is the largest, while that from the second is often very small. Structure The o ...

called the accessory obturator nerve. When it is present, the accessory obturator nerve innervates a portion of the pectineus muscle, entering the muscle on its dorsomedial aspect. The greater nerve to the muscle is the femoral nerve. Unlike the obturator accessory nerve, the femoral nerve is always present and provides the sole innervation for the pectineus muscle in over 90% of cases. The muscle is also innervated by the accessory obturator nerve in the 8.7% of cases in which the nerve occurs.

Function

Its primary functions are contributing to hip flexion and hip

adduction Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

. Secondarily, it also internally rotates the thigh.

Additional images

File:Gray235.png, Right hip bone. External surface. File:Gray344.png, Structures surrounding right hip-joint. File:Gray430.png, Muscles of the iliac and anterior femoral regions. File:Gray433.png, Deep muscles of the medial femoral region. File:Gray549.png, The left femoral triangle. File:Gray823.png, The lumbar plexus and its branches. File:Slide3GGGGG.JPG, Pectineus muscle File:Slide2LLLL.JPG, Pectineus muscle File:Slide13LLLL.JPG, Pectineus muscle File:Slide4NNNNN.JPG, Pectineus muscle File:Slide1WWWW.JPG, Pectineus muscle File:Slide1BOUA.JPG, Muscles of Thigh. Anterior views File:Slide1DEEA.JPG, Muscles of Thigh. Anterior views.

References

Notes

* * Saladin, Kenneth S. Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007. pg.493. Print.

External links

* - "Muscles of the anterior (extensor) compartment of the thigh." * - "Deep muscles of the anterior thigh." * {{Authority control Hip adductors Hip medial rotators Hip flexors Thigh muscles Medial compartment of thigh