Quadriceps Femoris

The quadriceps femoris is a muscle complex in the anterior compartment of the thigh. It consists of four individual muscles – vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and the rectus femoris.

• Attachments: 
  • Arises from the anterior superior iliac spine, the ilium, and the femur.
  • The fibres converge into a thick tendon, which inserts onto the base of the patella.
  • It inserts onto the patella via the quadriceps femoris tendon.
  • The patella is then attached to the tibial tuberosity by the patella ligament.
• Actions: Extension of the knee joint. Contributes to flexion at the hip joint through the action of the rectus femoris.
• Innervation: Femoral nerve.
• Blood Supply: Femoral artery.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2025)

Fig 1
The muscles of the anterior thigh.

By TeachMeSeries Ltd (2025)

Fig 2
The femur, tibia and patella of the knee joint.