In the

human body The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a hea ...

, the adductor longus is a

skeletal muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of m ...

located in the

thigh In human 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 ...

. One of the

adductor muscles of the hip The adductor muscles of the hip are a group of muscles mostly used for bringing the thighs together (called adduction). Structure The adductor group is made up of: *Adductor brevis *Adductor longus *Adductor magnus * Adductor minimus This is o ...

, its main function is to

adduct An adduct (from the Latin ''adductus'', "drawn toward" alternatively, a contraction of "addition product") is a product of a direct addition of two or more distinct molecules, resulting in a single reaction product containing all atoms of all co ...

the thigh and it is innervated by the

obturator nerve The obturator nerve in human anatomy arises from the ventral divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves in the lumbar plexus; the branch from the third is the largest, while that from the second is often very small. Structure The o ...

. It forms the medial wall of the femoral triangle.

Structure

The adductor longus arises from the body of pubis inferior to pubic crest and lateral to pubic symphysis. It lies ventrally on the

adductor magnus Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminolo ...

, and near the femur, the

adductor brevis The adductor brevis is a muscle in the thigh situated immediately deep to the pectineus and adductor longus. It belongs to the adductor muscle group. The main function of the adductor brevis is to pull the thigh medially. The adductor brevis ...

is interposed between these two muscles. Distally, the fibers of the adductor longus extend into the

adductor canal The adductor canal, also known as the subsartorial canal or Hunter’s canal, is an aponeurotic tunnel in the middle third of the thigh. It extends from the apex of the femoral triangle to the adductor hiatus. Structure The adductor canal exte ...

. It is inserted into the middle third of the medial lip of the ''

linea aspera The linea aspera ( la, rough line) is a ridge of roughened surface on the posterior surface of the shaft of the femur. It is the site of attachments of muscles and the intermuscular septum. Its margins diverge above and below. The linea aspera ...

''.

Innervation

As part of the medial compartment of the thigh, the adductor longus is innervated by the anterior division (sometimes the posterior division) of the

. The obturator nerve exits via the anterior rami of the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

from L2, L3, and L4.Saladin, Kenneth S. Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009.

Relations

The adductor longus is in relation by its anterior surface with the pubic portion of the

fascia lata The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular sep ...

, and near its insertion with the

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the f ...

and

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated ...

. By its posterior surface with the

and

magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

, the anterior branches of the

obturator artery The obturator artery is a branch of the internal iliac artery that passes antero-inferiorly (forwards and downwards) on the lateral wall of the pelvis, to the upper part of the obturator foramen, and, escaping from the pelvic cavity through the ob ...

, and

nerves A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...

, and near its insertion with the profunda artery and

. By its outer border with the

pectineus The pectineus muscle (, from the Latin word ''pecten'', meaning comb) is a flat, quadrangular muscle, situated at the anterior (front) part of the upper and medial (inner) aspect of the thigh. The pectineus muscle is the most anterior adductor ...

, and by the inner border with the gracilis.

Actions

Its main actions is to adduct and laterally rotate the thigh; it can also produce some degree of flexion/anteversion.

Development

Adductor longus is derived from the

myotome A myotome is the group of muscles that a single spinal nerve innervates. Similarly a dermatome is an area of skin that a single nerve innervates with sensory fibers. Myotomes are separated by myosepta (singular: myoseptum). In vertebrate embryon ...

of spinal roots L2, L3, and L4.

Additional images

File:Gray235.png, Right hip bone. External surface. File:Gray430.png, Muscles of the iliac and anterior femoral regions. File:Gray433.png, Deep muscles of the medial femoral region. File:Gray549.png, The left femoral triangle. File:Gray550.png, The femoral artery. File:Gray823.png, The lumbar plexus and its branches. File:Thigh cross section.svg, Cross section through thigh. File:Anatomical dissection7.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide3eee.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide2rrr.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide10CCCC.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide3FFFFF.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide5GGGGG.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide5JJJJ.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide5LLLL.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide16LLLL.JPG, Adductor longus muscle File:Slide2EA.JPG, Muscles of thigh. Cross section. File:Slide1DEEA.JPG, Muscles of Thigh. Anterior views.

References

External links

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PTCentral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adductor Longus Muscle Hip adductors Hip flexors Thigh muscles Medial compartment of thigh