leg muscles

 

 

Where are the upper leg muscles located?

The muscles in your upper leg (your thigh muscles) run from your hips to your knee. Your upper leg muscle anatomy includes:

Anterior: You have three main muscles in your upper leg. You also have another muscle, the iliopsoas, that starts in your lower spine and attaches to your femur (thighbone). The main upper leg muscles are:

• Pectineus.
• Quadriceps femoris (quads), which actually includes four muscles that start in your upper leg and end at your knees.
• Sartorius.

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Medial: Providers also call the medial part of the thigh, the hip adductors. You have five medial thigh muscles (on the inner part of your thigh). They are:

• Adductor brevis.
• Adductor longus.
• Adductor magnus.
• Gracilis.
• Obturator externus.

Posterior: The most common name for these muscles is the hamstrings. They start under your buttocks, run down the back of your leg and extend to the inside and outside of your knee. These muscles include:

• Biceps femoris.
• Semimembranosus.
• Semitendinosus.

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What do the leg muscles look like?

Part of your musculoskeletal system, your leg muscles are skeletal muscles. Many individual fibers make up skeletal muscles. These fibers bundle together to create a striated, or striped, appearance.

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What conditions and disorders affect the leg muscles?

Conditions that affect the leg muscles include:

• Foot drop: A condition that makes it difficult or impossible to lift your foot towards your knee. It may drag on the ground while walking. Foot drop results from health conditions like stroke or nerve injury.
• Leg cramps: Muscle cramps and muscle spasms in the calves are very common. Leg cramps can result from pregnancy, dehydration and certain medications and health conditions. They can happen at night or during the day. People over 60 are more likely to get leg cramps, especially at night.
• Muscle strain: The most common leg muscle injury is a strain. It happens when the muscle fibers stretch too far or tear. This can affect any part of your leg, resulting in a torn calf muscle or hamstring injury. These injuries usually result from overuse or strenuous exercise, especially from activities that require quick starts and stops.
• Tennis leg: This type of muscle strain injury causes calf pain. It can happen in any sport, but providers call it tennis leg because it commonly happens when the leg extends and the foot flexes. This is the foot position tennis players use when they serve a tennis ball and “push off” into motion.

What are some common signs or symptoms of conditions affecting the leg muscles?

Problems in the leg muscles can cause:

• Muscle pain, tightness and stiffness. The pain may be sharp or dull. It may start out as mild pain and slowly worsen.
• Muscle weakness or decreased range of motion.
• Pain, tenderness or bruising.