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Cross Section of the Mid-Thigh
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Cross Section of the Mid-Thigh

Femur Pelvic Girdle
Connective tissues that envelop the thigh:
  • Skin
  • Fascia lata, which is a thick band of connective tissue that wraps superficially around the muscles of the thigh.
  • The fascia lata thickens to form the iliotibial band (aka "iliotibial tract"), which extends along the lateral aspect of the thigh.
Connective tissues envelop and separate the thigh into comparments:
  • Anterior, which lies between the medial and lateral intermuscular septa.
  • Medial, which lies between the medial and posterior intermediate septa.
  • Posterior, which lies between the lateral and posterior intermediate septa.
Anterior compartment muscles:
  • Vastus intermedius attaches to the anterior surface of the femur (it is the deepest of the anterior muscles)
  • Vastus lateralis overlies a portion of vastus intermedius and attaches to the lateral intermuscular septum.
  • Vastus medialis attaches to the medial intermuscular septum
  • Rectus femoris, which lies superficial to vastus intermedius.
– Rectus femoris and the vastus muscles are collectively referred to as the "quadriceps femoris."
  • Sartorius is anatomically categorized as an anterior compartment muscle due to its origin on the pelvis and its action on the thigh, but, it crosses obliquely over the quadriceps femoris and is visible within the medial compartment at the level of our cross section
Posterior compartment muscles from lateral to medial:
– Biceps femoris short head, which attaches to the posterior femur. – Biceps femoris long head, which is thicker and more superficial than the short head.
Medial compartment adductor muscles from posterior to anterior:
  • Adductor magnus, which attaches to the femur and is the largest muscle in the medial compartment,
  • Adductor brevis, which also attaches to the femur at this level,
  • Adductor longus, which is not attached to the femur at this level, and,
  • Gracilis, which is superficial to the adductors.
END OF ESSENTIAL/START OF ADVANCED
Key neurovascular structures:
  • Posterior compartment:
– Sciatic nerve, which unbundles into the common fibular (aka peroneal) and tibial nerves; variation of the level of this split exists amongst individuals.
  • Medial compartment, from superficial to deep:
– Femoral nerve branches – Femoral artery and vein together in the adductor canal.
  • Mnemonic:
NAVY: Femoral Nerve, Artery, and Vein at anterior thigh.
  • Deep:
Deep femoral artery and vein (aka profunda femoris artery and vein), which branched from the femoral artery and vein proximally in the thigh.
  • Superficial:
Great saphenous vein drains into the femoral vein superiorly, runs beneath the skin from the proximal medial thigh and joins with the small saphenous vein in the lower leg.
Key points:
  • Anterior compartment muscles are innervated by the femoral nerve.
– They produce: Leg extension. Thigh flexion.
  • Posterior compartment muscles are innervated by the sciatic nerve (mostly the tibial portion).
– They produce: Thigh extension. Leg flexion.
  • Medial compartment muscles are primarily innervated by the obturator nerve,
– They produce: Thigh adduction and flexion.

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