The quadratus femoris is a flat, quadrilateral

skeletal 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 m ...

. Located on the posterior side of the

hip joint In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint. The hip region is ...

, it is a strong external rotator and adductor of the thigh, but also acts to stabilize the

femoral head The femoral head (femur head or head of the femur) is the highest part of the thigh bone (femur). It is supported by the femoral neck. Structure The head is globular and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upward, medialward, and a l ...

in the

acetabulum The acetabulum (), also called the cotyloid cavity, is a concave surface of the pelvis. The head of the femur meets with the pelvis at the acetabulum, forming the hip joint. Structure There are three bones of the ''os coxae'' (hip bone) that c ...

. Quadratus femoris use in the Meyer's muscle pedicle grafting to prevent avascular necrosis of femur head.

Course

It originates on the lateral border of the ischial tuberosity of the

ischium The ischium () form ...

of the

pelvis The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

. From there, it passes laterally to its insertion on the posterior side of the head of the femur: the

quadrate tubercle The quadrate tubercle is a small tubercle found upon the upper part of the femur. It serves as a point of insertion of the quadratus femoris muscle, along with the intertrochanteric crest and the linea quadrata. Structure The quadrate tubercle ...

on the

intertrochanteric crest The intertrochanteric crest is a prominent bony ridge upon the posterior surface of the femur at the junction of the neck and the shaft of the femur. It extends between the greater trochanter superiorly, and the lesser trochanter inferiorly. Ana ...

and along the quadrate line, the vertical line which runs downward to bisect 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 ...

on the medial side of the femur. Along its course, quadratus is aligned edge to edge with the inferior gemellus above and the

adductor magnus Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion 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 terminolo ...

below, so that its upper and lower borders run horizontal and parallel. At its origin, the upper margin of the

is separated from it by the terminal branches of the medial femoral circumflex vessels. A

bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

is often found between the front of this muscle and the

. Sometimes absent.

Clinical significance

Groin pain can be a disabling ailment with many potential root causes: one such cause, often overlooked, is quadratus femoris

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...

Magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

can show abnormal signal intensity at the insertion of the right quadratus femoris tendon, which suggests inflammation of the area. Since the muscle works to laterally rotate and adduct the femur, actions involving the lower body can strain the muscle. In addition, patients present with hip pain and an increased signal intensity of the MRI of the quadratus femoris have been shown to also have a significantly narrower ischiofemoral space compared to the general populace. The ischiofemoral impingement may be a cause of the hip pain associated with quadratus femoris tendinitis.

Additional images

File:Gray245.png, Right femur. Posterior surface. File:Gray344.png, Structures surrounding right hip-joint. File:Gray832.png, Nerves of the right lower extremity Posterior view. File:Slide6hh.JPG, Quadratus femoris muscle File:Slide1BIBI.JPG, Muscles of Thigh. Anterior views.

Notes

References

* * (ISBN for the Americas 1-58890-159-9.) *

External links

PTCentral
* {{Authority control Hip muscles Hip lateral rotators Deep lateral rotators of the hip Muscles of the lower limb