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Portrait of Rectus femoris

Anatomy · Muscles

Rectus femoris

The quadriceps head that crosses the hip

Lower limb · thigh, anterior compartment

Rectus femoris is the straight, bipennate muscle down the front of the thigh, the only one of the four quadriceps heads to cross the hip as well as the knee. It arises from the anterior inferior iliac spine and the ilium above the hip socket and inserts through the quadriceps tendon into the patella. It flexes the hip and extends the knee and is supplied by the femoral nerve.

How to spot them

  • ▸Runs straight down the middle of the front of the thigh, feather-like (bipennate)
  • ▸Starts at the pelvis, above the hip, unlike the three vasti, which start on the femur
  • ▸Lies superficial to vastus intermedius
  • ▸Shares the quadriceps tendon, patella and patellar ligament with the other heads

What to know

The only one of the four extensors of the knee that also crosses the hip joint

Rectus femoris.

A muscle with a straight head from the anterior inferior iliac spine and a reflected head from above the acetabulum

Rectus femoris.

A bipennate, feather-shaped muscle at the middle of the front of the thigh, lying over vastus intermedius

Rectus femoris.

It flexes the hip and extends the knee, giving power to the kicking swing of a football

Rectus femoris.

A muscle supplied by the femoral nerve (L2–L4) that can be torn at its origin in kicking and sprinting

Rectus femoris.

Key ideas

  • Because it crosses two joints, it is stretched over the knee when the hip is extended, which is why it is prone to strain in kicking and sprinting.
  • It contributes to the quadriceps tendon and thus to the patellar reflex.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Origin: straight head from the anterior inferior iliac spine; reflected head from the ilium just above the acetabulum.
  • •Insertion: base of the patella via the quadriceps tendon, then the tibial tuberosity via the patellar ligament.
  • •Nerve supply: femoral nerve (L2–L4).
  • •Actions: extends the knee and flexes the hip.
  • •It is the only quadriceps head to cross the hip joint.
  • •It is a bipennate muscle, with fibres slanting into a central tendon like a feather.
  • •Its name means 'straight muscle of the thigh'.

Drill it — 6 cards

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Sources