Rectus Femoris
The rectus femoris muscles are among the quadriceps muscles located in the upper anterior (anterior = 'front') of each of the legs of the human body.
The four quadriceps muscles are the:
- rectus femoris - along the middle of the thigh
- vastus lateralis - lateral side of the femur (outer side of the thigh)
- vastus medialis - medial side of the femur (inner part thigh)
- vastus intermedius - between the vastus lateralis and the vastus medial is on the front of the femur (top / front of the thigh), beneath the rectus femoris
Of these the rectus femoris is the only muscle that crosses the hip joint. An example of when the rectus femoris muscle is used is when kicking a ball.
Origin, Insertion and Actions of the Rectus Femoris muscles:
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The rectus femoris muscles are labelled on our diagram of human anterior muscles.
More about Muscles:
The following are some popular pages in the section about the human muscular system:
- The structure of muscle tissue
- The structure of muscle cells
- Labelled diagrams of the muscles in different parts of the body including anterior muscles, posterior muscles and facial muscles
- Types of muscle contractions
- Movements at joints
There are also more pages about the words used to describe muscles (terminology), the anatomy and physiology of muscles, muscular disorders and associated topics. See also books about sports medicine.
Click for pages related to muscles
- Anterior Muscles
- Posterior Muscles
- Facial Muscles
- Muscle Terminology (Definitions)
- 1. Structure of Muscle
- 2. Structure of Muscle Cells
- 3. Muscle Filaments
- 4. Sliding Filament Theory
- 5. Neuromuscular Junction
- 6. Actions at Neuromuscular Junction
- Types of Muscle Contractions
- Muscular Disorders
- Effects of exercise on muscles
