Pes anserinus ("
goose foot") refers to the conjoined tendons of three
muscles
Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...
of the
thigh. ''Pes'' means 'foot' in Latin. In Latin, ''anser'' means 'goose', and ''anserinus'' means 'goose-like'.
Pes anserinus inserts onto the
anteromedial (front and inside) surface of the
proximal tibia. The muscles are the
sartorius,
gracilis and
semitendinosus sometimes referred to as the
guy ropes. The name "goose foot" arises from the three-pronged manner in which the conjoined
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...
inserts onto the tibia.
Structure
The three tendons, from front to back, that conjoin to form the pes anserinus come from the
sartorius muscle, the
gracilis muscle
The gracilis muscle (; Latin for "slender") is the most superficial muscle on the medial side of the thigh. It is thin and flattened, broad above, narrow and tapering below.
Structure
It arises by a thin aponeurosis from the anterior margins ...
, and the
semitendinosus muscle
The semitendinosus () is a long superficial muscle in the Posterior compartment of thigh, back of the thigh. It is so named because it has a very long tendon of insertion. It lies posteromedially in the thigh, superficial to the semimembranosus.
...
.
It inserts onto the proximal anteromedial surface of 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 ...
.
The pes anserinus is around 5 cm below the medial tibial joint line.
It lies superficial to the tibial insertion of the
medial collateral ligament of the knee.
Clinical significance
Pes anserinus tendinitis/bursitis syndrome, or
pes anserine bursitis, is a cause of
chronic knee pain and weakness.
[ - "Pes anserinus bursitis"] It occurs when the medial portion of the knee is
inflamed. If the
bursa
Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...
underlying the tendons of the
sartorius,
gracilis, and
semitendinosus gets irritated from overuse or injury, a person can develop this ailment. This condition usually occurs in athletes from overuse. This pathology is characterized by pain, swelling, and / or tenderness.
The semitendinosus tendon can be used in certain techniques for reconstruction of the
anterior cruciate ligament.
History
The name "goose foot" arises from the three-pronged manner in which the conjoined tendon inserts onto the tibia.
Additional images
File:Slide2DADE.JPG, Muscles of the posteromedial thigh, medial view.
References
External links
*
{{Lower limb general
Lower limb anatomy