The quadriceps head forming the teardrop bulge above the inner side of the knee
Vastus medialis.
Anatomy · Muscles
Vastus medialis
The inner head of the quadriceps
Lower limb · thigh, anterior compartment
Vastus medialis is the teardrop-shaped muscle on the inner side of the lower thigh, one of the four quadriceps heads. It arises from the femur and the adductor tendons and inserts on the medial border of the patella. Its lower oblique fibres help to hold the patella in its groove as the knee extends. It is supplied by the femoral nerve.
How to spot them
- ▸Bulge above the inner side of the knee, the 'teardrop'
- ▸Arises from the intertrochanteric line and the medial lip of the linea aspera
- ▸Its lowest fibres run obliquely to the inner border of the patella
- ▸Lies medial to rectus femoris and over vastus intermedius
What to know
A muscle whose oblique lower fibres help keep the kneecap from sliding outward
Vastus medialis — the vastus medialis oblique.
A muscle arising from the medial lip of the linea aspera and the medial supracondylar line
Vastus medialis.
It inserts on the medial border of the patella
Vastus medialis.
The most medial of the four extensors of the knee, supplied by the femoral nerve
Vastus medialis.
A muscle that lies against the adductor canal, forming its lateral wall
Vastus medialis.
Key ideas
- The oblique fibres pull the patella medially, balancing the lateral pull of vastus lateralis and the iliotibial tract.
- Its bulk falls off quickly after knee injury or disuse, which can upset patellar tracking.
Quick-fire facts
- •Origin: intertrochanteric line, medial lip of the linea aspera, medial supracondylar line and adductor tendons.
- •Insertion: medial border of the patella via the quadriceps tendon.
- •Nerve supply: femoral nerve (L2–L4).
- •Action: extends the knee; oblique fibres stabilise the patella.
- •Its lowest, most oblique fibres are known clinically as the vastus medialis oblique (VMO).
- •Its fibres run lower on the thigh than those of vastus lateralis.
- •It forms the lateral wall of the adductor canal.
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