Category: Monday Muscle

Tibialis Anterior

The tibialis anterior muscle is the largest muscle located in the anterior (front) compartment of the leg. The blood supply to the tibialis anterior muscle comes primarily from the anterior tibial artery and its branches. In general, muscles of this compartment help to flex the foot in an upward direction at the ankle and also extend the toes.[1]

The tibialis anterior lies along the outside of the shinbone (tibia). The muscle attaches to the top of the shinbone and descends down the leg, following the outside of the bone. The muscle’s tendon crosses the top of the foot by the inside ankle and connects to two bones (medial cuneiform and first metatarsal) on the bottom of the foot.[2]

Sources:

[1] Tibialis Anterior Healthline

[2] Tibialis Anterior Muscle: Big Toe, Ankle and Shin Pain The Wellness Digest

Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #8 Vastus Lateralis

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The vastus lateralis muscle

This muscle is located on the side of the thigh. This muscle is the largest of the quadriceps group (often called quads) which also includes the rectus femoris, the vastus intermedius, and the vastus medialis. Collectively, the quadriceps muscle is the largest in the human body and its purpose is to extend the knee. The specific task of the vastus lateralis muscle is to extend the lower leg and allow the body to rise up from a squatting position.

Trigger points in three of the four quadricep muscles are the kingpins behind many cases of knee pain and dysfunction. The vastus lateralis trigger points refer pain to the outside of the thigh, knee, and upper lower leg. They may also cause the “stuck patella” or “locked knee cap” conditions in which the knee cap fails to track up and down naturally during movements of the knee. While the pain from the other quadriceps trigger points is focused only on the knee joint, the vastus lateralis trigger points may also project pain to the outside of the thigh, which may also be confused with IT Band syndrome.

What are the pain and symptoms associated with the vastus lateralis?

• Knee pain
• Pain on the side of the thigh extending down into the front and back of the knee
• Pain under the buttock extending toward the hip joint
• Pain occasionally descends into the back of the calf
• Locked knee
• Extended walking increases pain in the thigh and knee

Fun Facts about vastus lateralis

• It is the largest of the quadriceps muscles
• Everyone has trigger points in the vastus lateralis.
• ‘Growing pains’ in the knees and hips of children can often be traced to the vastus lateralis

Sources:

1. Vastus Lateralis. healthline.com.
2. Vastus Lateralis Trigger Points: The Knee Pain Trigger Points, triggerpointtherapist.com
3. Vastus Lateralis Muscle: Hip, Thigh, Knee Pain, thewellnessdigest.com

[Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #7 Rectus Femoris ]

Rectus Femoris.

The rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach to the patella (knee cap) via the quadriceps tendon.

The rectus femoris is situated in the middle of the front of the thigh; it is fusiform in shape, and its superficial fibers are arranged in a bipenniform manner, the deep fibers running straight (rectus) down to the deep aponeurosis. Its functions are to flex the thigh at the hip joint and to extend the leg at the knee joint.^[1]

Fun Facts about the Quadriceps and rectus femoris

• Did you know that the Rectus Femoris is the strongest and leanest muscle in the human body?
• Did you know that the Rectus Femoris is the only quad that isn’t actually attached to the femur (thigh bone) but actually is attached below the knee and to the pelvis. So it can both straighten the leg and bend the hip!?
• The Latin full formal name for quadriceps is musculus quadriceps femoris, and the meaning literally translates to “four-headed muscle of the femur”.
• President Bill Clinton had surgery in 1997 to repair the quadriceps tendon in his right knee, which he tore stumbling on steps.
• Arnold Shwarzenaeger has just about as many muscle fibers in his quads as you do. They’re just thicker.^[2]
• The quadriceps are used for knee extension, cycling, climbing stairs. Squats or leg extensions on a machine will develop this muscle.^[3]

There is a fifth muscle of the quadriceps complex that is often forgotten and rarely taught called articularis genus. In addition, recent cadaver studies have confirmed the presence of a sixth muscle, the tensor vastus intermedius.^[4]

Sources:

1. Sportsmedicine: Rectus Femoris. Sportsmedicine.about.com.
2. Fun Facts – Rectus Femoris, ihavehugequads.weebly.com
3. Muscle: Interesting Facts, Names, and Function, infolific.com
4. Quadriceps femoris muscle, sussie.org

[Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #6 Brachialis ]

Triceps Brachii Muscles – the muscles used to straighten your arm

The Triceps Brachii muscles are located on the back of the humerus and more commonly referred to as the triceps. They derive their name from a Latin phrase meaning “three headed arm muscle”,  due to the fact that the triceps muscles have three muscle heads and therefore have three separate origin attachment points. These three heads are called the Lateral, Medial and Long and they connect the Humerus, Scapula and the >Ulna. The Triceps Brachii muscles are primarily responsible for the extension of the elbow joint (straightening of the arm). They are the largest muscles in the upper arms.

As with the Bicep muscle which has two heads and therefore two origin points, the three-headed Triceps muscle has three different origin points. These origin attachment points are as follows;

1. The Long head arises from the lower part of the Glenoid Cavity which is a shallow depression on the scapula where the head of the Humerus fits. This head is responsible for giving the Triceps Muscle the horse shoe shape.

2.The Lateral head  which arises from the upper half of the outside posterior surface of the humerus.

3.The Medial head which arises from the dorsal and inside posterior of the humerus and can usually only be visible closer to the elbow joint as it is mostly covered by the Lateral and Long heads.

— read more at musclesused.com

Fun Facts

Here are some fun facts about triceps muscles that you need to know.

1. The Triceps muscle makes up 2/3 of the muscle in your arm.
2. The average triceps muscle is twice as big as the biceps muscle.
3. The Triceps muscle has 3 separate heads.
4. The Triceps muscle is mostly responsible for straightening your arm.
5. The Triceps muscle instigates shoulder and elbow rotation.
6. More than 90% of a horse’s total muscle weight is located at their triceps.
7. In many mammals such as dogs, they have a fourth head called the accesory head. It is located between the lateral and medial heads.
8. The triceps brachii is a contributor to both tennis elbow and golfers elbow.
9. It and the serratus anterior are known as the boxer’s muscles because these muscles deliver the straight-arm punch.

— sources:

• 5 Fun Facts About Triceps
• Triceps Brachii
• The Wellness Digest

 

Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #4 Biceps Brachii

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The biceps brachii

The biceps brachii, sometimes known simply as the biceps, is a skeletal muscle that is involved in the movement of the elbow and shoulder.

It is a double-headed muscle, meaning that it has two points of origin or “heads” in the shoulder area. The short head of each biceps brachii originates at the top of the scapula (at the coracoid process). The long head originates just above the shoulder joint (at the supraglenoid tubercle). Both heads are joined at the elbow.

The biceps brachii is a bi-articular muscle, which means that it helps control the motion of two different joints, the shoulder and the elbow.

The function of the biceps at the elbow is essential to the function of the forearm in lifting. The function of the biceps brachii at the shoulder is less pronounced, playing minor roles in moving the arms forward, upward, and sideways.

Although it is generally considered to be doubled headed, the biceps brachii is one of the most variable muscles in the human body. It is common for human biceps to have a third head originating at the humerus. As many as seven heads have been reported.

— Biceps Brachii Origin, Function & Anatomy,  Healthline

 

Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #3 Pectoralis Major

Next: Your Monday Muscle: #5 Triceps Brachii

The pectoralis major

The pectoralis major muscle is a large muscle in the upper chest¹, fanning across the chest from the shoulder to the breastbone. The two pectoralis major muscles, commonly referred to as the “pecs,” are the muscles that create the bulk of the chest.

A developed pectoralis major is most evident in males, as the breasts of a female typically hide the pectoral muscles.

A second pectoral muscle, the pectoralis minor, lies beneath the pectoralis major.

The pectorals are predominantly used to control the movement of the arm, with the contractions of the pectoralis major pulling on the humerus to create lateral, vertical, or rotational motion.

The pectorals also play a part in deep inhalation, pulling the ribcage to create room for the lungs to expand.

Six separate sets of muscle fiber have been identified within the pectoralis major muscle, allowing portions of the muscle to be moved independently by the nervous system.

Injuries

Injuries to the pectoralis major can occur during weightlifting, as well as other bodybuilding exercises that place excessive strain on the shoulders and chest.

Symptoms of a pec major sprain will include a sudden sharp pain at the front of the upper arm near the shoulder where the pec major tendon attaches. There is likely to be rapid swelling of the front of the shoulder and upper arm. Tests which will reproduce pain and help confirm the diagnosis include getting the patient to pull their arm across the front of the chest or rotate it inwards against resistance. A visible gap or lump in the muscle may appear.

Previous: Your Monday Muscle: #2 the Deltoid

Next: Your Monday Muscle: #4 Biceps Brachii

Sources

[1] The Pectoralis Major muscle, healthline.com