Fascial compartments of thigh
The fascial compartments of thigh are the three fascial compartments that divide and contain the thigh muscles. The fascia lata is the strong and deep fascia of the thigh that surrounds the thigh muscles and forms the outer limits of the compartments. Internally the muscle compartments are divided by the lateral and medial intermuscular septa.
The three groups of muscles contained in the compartments have their own nerve supply:[1]
The anterior compartment of thigh contains the sartorius muscle and the four quadriceps: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis, along with the articularis genus. They are supplied by the femoral nerve.
The medial compartment of thigh contains the pectineus, external obturator and gracilis muscles, together with the other adductors: the longus, brevis, and minimus. They are supplied by the obturator nerve.
The posterior compartment of thigh contains the hamstring portion of the adductor magnus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles. They are supplied by the sciatic nerve.
See also
References
External links
- knee/muscles/index at the Dartmouth Medical School's Department of Anatomy