The popliteus muscle in the leg is used for unlocking the knees when walking, by laterally rotating the

femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...

on the

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

during the closed chain portion of the gait cycle (one with the foot in contact with the ground). In open chain movements (when the involved limb is not in contact with the ground), the popliteus muscle medially rotates the tibia on the femur. It is also used when sitting down and standing up. It is the only muscle in the posterior (back) compartment of the lower leg that acts just on the knee and not on the

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

. The

gastrocnemius muscle The gastrocnemius muscle (plural ''gastrocnemii'') is a superficial two-headed muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg of humans. It is located superficial to the soleus in the posterior (back) compartment of the leg. It runs from its t ...

acts on both

joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

Structure

The popliteus muscle originates from the lateral surface of the lateral condyle of the femur by a rounded tendon. Its fibers pass downward and medially. It inserts onto the posterior surface of

, above the soleal line. The popliteus tendon runs beneath the lateral collateral ligament and tendon of

biceps femoris The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it consists of two heads; the long head is considered part of the hamstring muscle group, while the short head is sometimes excluded from this ...

. The muscle also runs above the lateral meniscus but has no connection with the meniscus in 45% of the cases, but has strong connection with it in 17.5% of the cases. Therefore, popliteus muscle is extrasynovial, extra-articular, and intracapsular.

Nerve supply

The popliteus muscle is supplied by the

tibial nerve The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus. Structure Popliteal fossa The tibial nerve is the larger terminal branch of the sciatic nerve with root val ...

, from spinal roots L5 and S1.

Variation

There is sometimes an additional head from the

sesamoid bone In anatomy, a sesamoid bone () is a bone embedded within a tendon or a muscle. Its name is derived from the Greek word for 'sesame seed', indicating the small size of most sesamoids. Often, these bones form in response to strain, or can be presen ...

in the lateral (outer) head of the

. Rarely an additional inconstant muscle; the popliteus minor is seen. It originates from the femur on the inner side of the plantaris muscle and inserts into the posterior ligament of the knee-joint. Peroneotibialis, 14% of population. Origin is inner side of the head of the fibula, insertion into the upper end of the oblique line of the tibia, it lies beneath the popliteus. Another variant, the cyamella, is a small sesamoid bone embedded in the tendon of the popliteus muscle. It is rarely seen in humans, with prevalence rates from 0.57–1.8%, but has been described more often in other primates and certain other animals.

Function

The popliteus assists in flexing the leg upon the

thigh In anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone tissu ...

; when the leg is flexed, it will rotate the tibia inward. It is especially called into action at the beginning of the act of bending the knee, in as much as it produces the slight inward rotation of the tibia, which is essential in the early stage of this movement. When the knee is in full extension, the femur slightly medially rotates on the tibia to lock the knee joint in place. Popliteus is often referred to as the "Key" to unlocking the knee since it begins knee flexion by laterally rotating the femur on the tibia. Popliteus is also attached to the lateral meniscus in the knee and draws it posteriorly during knee flexion to prevent crushing the meniscus between the tibia and femur as the knee flexes.

Additional images

File:Popliteus large.gif, Animation File:Gray439-Musculus popliteus.png, Deep layer of muscles on the back of the right leg File:Sobo 1909 305.png, Muscles of deep posterior compartment of the right leg

Surgery

Injury to the Popliteus causes posterolateral rotatory instability of knee. This can be treated with Arthroscopic Popliteus Sling reconstruction using the popliteus portal.

References

External links

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PTCentral
{{Authority control Calf muscles Muscles of the lower limb