In the

human body The human body is the entire structure of a Human, human being. It is composed of many different types of Cell (biology), cells that together create Tissue (biology), tissues and subsequently Organ (biology), organs and then Organ system, org ...

, the adductor longus is a

skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle (commonly referred to as muscle) is one of the three types of vertebrate muscle tissue, the others being cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. They are part of the somatic nervous system, voluntary muscular system and typically are a ...

located in 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 ...

. One of the

adductor muscles of the hip The adductor muscles of the hip are a group of muscles in the medial compartment of the thigh mostly used for bringing the thighs together (called adduction). Structure The adductor group is made up of: * Adductor brevis * Adductor longus * A ...

, its main function is to

adduct In chemistry, an adduct (; 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 components. The resultant is ...

the thigh and it is innervated by the obturator nerve. It forms the medial wall of the

femoral triangle The femoral triangle (or Scarpa's triangle) is an anatomical region of the upper third of the thigh. It is a subfascial space which appears as a triangular depression below the inguinal ligament when the thigh is flexed, abducted and laterally r ...

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 The adductor magnus is a large triangular muscle, situated on the medial side of the thigh. It consists of two parts. The portion which arises from the ischiopubic ramus (a small part of the inferior ramus of the pubis, and the inferior ramu ...

, 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 brevi ...

is interposed between these two muscles. Distally, the fibers of the adductor longus extend into the adductor canal. It is inserted into the middle third of the medial lip of the ''

linea aspera The linea aspera () 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 is a prominent ...

''.

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 obturator nerve. 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 that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...

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, 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 and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the femoral triangle. It enters ...

and

vein Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of 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 those of the pulmonary and feta ...

. By its posterior surface with the

and magnus, the anterior branches of the obturator artery,

, and nerves, and near its insertion with the profunda artery and

. By its outer border with the pectineus, and by the inner border with the gracilis.

Actions

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

Development

Adductor longus is derived from the myotome 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