Division of Rehabilitation Sciences Occupational Therapy / Physical Therapy 7143 Control of Human Movement Muscles of the human body

Students of human movement confront the challenge of learning musculoskeletal anatomy. This page lists the muscles that students in the course learn to palpate, and whose attachments and lines of applications they must illustrate in the form of a force vector.

Hip and pelvic region Knee region Ankle and foot Back and abdomen Shoulder complex Elbow Wrist and hand

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Hip and pelvic region (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp.267-268)

• Posterior muscles
  1. Gluteus maximus
  2. Biceps femoris
  3. Semitendinosus
  4. Semimembranosus

• Anterior muscles
  1. Rectus femoris
  2. Sartorius
  3. Tensor fascia latae
  4. Iliopsoas
  5. Pectineus

• Lateral muscles
  1. Gluteus medius and minimus
  2. Tensor fascia latae
  3. Piriformis

• Medial muscles
  1. Adductor magnus
  2. Adductor longus
  3. Adductor gracilis
  4. Adductor brevis
  5. Pectineus (see page 285)

Knee (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, p.303)

• Extensors
  1. rectus femoris
  2. vastus lateralis
  3. vastus medialis
  4. vastus intermedius

• Flexors
  1. biceps femoris
  2. semitendinosus
  3. semimembranosus
  4. gastrocnemius
  5. popliteus

Ankle and foot (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp.344-355)

(Muscles that cross the ankle and subtalar joint are attached proximally to structures outside the foot, and so are termed extrinsic foot muscles. The term distinguishes them from intrinsic foot muscles (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp. 355-356), knowledge of which is not part of the course's objectives.)

• Triceps surae
  • gastrocnemius
  • soleus
• tibialis posterior
• flexor digitorum longus
• flexor hallucis longus
• peroneus longus and brevis
• tibialis anterior
• extensor hallucis longus
• extensor digitorum longus

Anterior muscles of the trunk (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp.377-380, 384-387)

• Scalenes (anterior and middle)
• Sternocleidomastoid
• Intercostals (external and internal)
• Diaphragm
• Abdominals:
  • Rectus Abdominis
  • External Oblique
  • Internal Oblique
  • Transversus Abdominus

Posterior muscles of the trunk (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp.380-383)

Extensors/Ipsilateral Rotators:

• Erector spinae (sacrospinalis)
  • spinalis
  • longissimus
  • iliocostalis
• Splenius Capitis et cervicis

Extensors/Contralateral Rotators (transverso-spinalis muscles)

• Semispinalis
• Multifidus
• Rotatores

Quadratus Lumborum

Muscles of the shoulder complex (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp. 236-252)

• Muscles from axial skeleton to scapula and clavicle:
  • Serratus anterior
  • Trapezius
  • Rhomboideus major and minor
  • Pectoralis minor
  • Levator scapulae

• Muscles from scapula and clavicle to humerus:
  • Deltoid
  • Rotator cuff
    1. supraspinatus
    2. infraspinatus
    3. teres minor
    4. subscapularis
  • Teres major
  • Coracobrachialis
  • Biceps brachii (long head)
  • Triceps brachii (long head)

• Muscles from axial skeleton to humerus:
  • Latissimus dorsi
  • Pectoralis major

Muscles of the elbow and radioulnar joints (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp. 163-172)

• Elbow flexors
  • biceps brachii
  • brachialis
  • brachioradialis
  • pronator teres

• Elbow extensors
  • triceps brachii
  • anconeus

• Radioulnar supinators
  Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl (1996, p.171) list muscles that supinate the radioulnar joint:
  • biceps brachii
  • supinator
  • abductor pollicis longus
  • extensor pollicis brevis
  • extensor indicis proprius

• Radioulnar pronators
  Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl (1996, p.172) list muscles that pronate the radioulnar joint:
  • pronator teres
  • pronator quadratus
  • flexor carpi radialis (see also Kendall, 1993, p.258)
  • extensor carpi radialis longus (see also Kendall, 1993, p. 268)

Muscles of the wrist and hand (Smith, Weiss, & Lehmkuhl, 1996, pp. 191-198) are listed on another page.

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Last updated 9-19-01 ©Dave Thompson PT
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