The tensor vastus intermedius is a muscle in the anterior compartment of thigh. It lies between the vastus intermedius and the

vastus lateralis The vastus lateralis (), also called the vastus externus, is the largest and most powerful part of the quadriceps femoris, a muscle in the thigh. Together with other muscles of the quadriceps group, it serves to extend the knee joint, moving the ...

. The term tensor vastus intermedius was given by Grob et al. in 2016, although the structure had been reported previously.

Structure

The tensor vastus intermedius muscle originates from the proximal part of

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 ...

specifically from the anterior part of the

greater trochanter The greater trochanter of the femur is a large, irregular, quadrilateral eminence and a part of the skeletal system. It is directed lateral and medially and slightly posterior. In the adult it is about 2–4 cm lower than the femoral head.Sta ...

. The muscle lies anterior to the vastus intermedius but deep to the

rectus femoris The rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach ...

. The tendinous part of the muscle is closely related to, and sometimes fuses with, the

aponeurosis An aponeurosis (; : aponeuroses) is a flattened tendon by which muscle attaches to bone or fascia. Aponeuroses exhibit an ordered arrangement of collagen fibres, thus attaining high tensile strength in a particular direction while being vulnerable ...

of the vastus intermedius. Distally, it joins the

quadriceps tendon In human anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and micros ...

and inserts to the medial aspect of the

patella The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

. It is supplied by the

femoral nerve The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee. It is the largest branch of the lumbar plexus. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the ant ...

and the lateral circumflex femoral artery.

Variations

This muscle is categorised into five types according to morphology: the independent type, VI-type, VL-type, common type and two-belly type. The independent type of the tensor vastus intermedius, also the most frequent type, has its tendon lying between the vastus intermedius and the vastus lateralis. For the VI-type and the VL-type, the tendinous part of the muscle is integrated into the fascia of the vastus intermedius and the vastus lateralis respectively. For the common type, it has a non-separable origin between the

intertrochanteric line The intertrochanteric line is a line upon the anterior aspect of the proximal end of the femur, extending between the lesser trochanter and the greater trochanter. It is a rough, variable ridge. Structure The intertrochanteric line marks the bound ...

and greater trochanter. Two separate muscle bellies can be found for the two-belly types.

Functions

The tensor vastus intermedius muscle tenses on the aponeurosis of the vastus intermedius and also medialises the action of the muscle. It also acts as a second tensor in addition to the tensor fasciae latae.

Muscle architecture

Recently, ultrasound studies have provided insight into the muscle architecture of this musculature and its long tendon Particularly, these studies have suggested that the tensor of vastus intermedius has a small cross-sectional area compared to other individual quadriceps muscles.

References

{{Muscles of lower limb Knee extensors Thigh muscles Anterior compartment of thigh Muscles of the lower limb

Structure

Variations

Functions

Muscle architecture

See also

References