Which muscle or tendon inserts on the front of the thigh and bears more load when the knees are flexed than extended?

Asked by: Zach Young

The quadriceps are located in the front of the thigh and are responsible for extending (straightening) the knee, as well as flexing the hip. It is made up of four muscles.

What is the muscle on the front of the thigh that extends the leg?

Quadriceps

Pectineus is a flat muscle that extends from the front of the pelvis to the top of the femur. Quadriceps include four large muscles located in the front of the thigh: vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, and rectus femoris.

Which muscle is the most powerful in thigh extension?

The gluteus maximus muscle is the most powerful extensor of the thigh.

What muscles are used to flex the leg?

The quadriceps femoris muscle group straightens the leg at the knee. The hamstrings are antagonists to the quadriceps femoris muscle group, which are used to flex the leg at the knee.

What muscles are used to bend the knee?

The hamstring muscles.
This is a group of 3 muscles (biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosis) located on the back of the thigh and knee joint. When activated these muscles act to bend the knee.

What does the Sartorius muscle do?

The function of the sartorius is unique in that it can serve as both a hip and knee flexor. The origin for the sartorius is the anterior superior iliac spine, sharing this origin with the tensor fascia lata. At the hip, it acts to both flex the hip as well as externally rotate.

What does the vastus medialis do?

Function. Vastus medialis, together with the other muscles that make up quadriceps femoris, extends the knee jointand it also contributes to correct tracking of the patella.

Which muscles flex and extend the leg at the knee?

The quadriceps femoris is one of the strongest muscle groups in the body that covers the anterior aspect of the femur. This group of muscles has a common function. They extend the leg at the knee joint. The rectus femoris has an additional role in stabilizing the hip joint and aiding in the flexion of the thigh.

Does the rectus femoris flex the knee?

Thus the rectus femoris received its name because it runs straight down the thigh. It is a two way acting muscle as it crosses over the hip and knee joint; therefore, it functions to extend the knee and also assists iliopsoas in hip flexion. It is thus also a hip flexor.

Where does vastus lateralis insert?

Vastus lateralis
The muscle descends through the lateral part of the anterior thigh compartment and inserts to the base of patella via the quadriceps tendon.

What flexes the thigh and extends the leg?

The rectus femoris muscle flexes the thigh at the hip joint and extends the leg at the knee joint.

What muscle causes knee extension?

The lowest fibers of vastus lateralis and medialis insert onto the sides of the patella. The principal action of the quadriceps muscle is to extend the knee.

What muscle flexes the thigh and extends the knee quizlet?

All four heads extend leg at knee joint; rectus femoris muscle acting alone also flexes thigh a hip joint. All four heads extend leg at knee joint; rectus femoris muscle acting alone also flexes thigh a hip joint.