The anterior compartment of the thigh consists of quadriceps femoris muscle and sartorius muscle.

The quadriceps femoris muscle consists of four muscles:

Rectus femoris muscle
Vastus medialis muscle
Vastus intermedius muscle
Vastus lateralis muscle

Each one of these muscles arises from a different origin, but they share an insertion site. The four muscles form a common tendon of the quadriceps femoris muscle near the patella, that fastens to the tibial tuberosity.

Here, we take a closer look at the vastus intermedius. To study the rest of the quadriceps femoris muscles, see the previous slide.

The vastus intermedius muscle is located in the anterior region of the thigh below the rectus femoris and between the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis.

Origin: upper two-thirds of the anterior surface and lateral surface of the femur.

Insertion: tibial tuberosity via the patellar ligament, base of the patella.

Action: extension of the leg.

Innervation: femoral nerve (L2 - L4).

Blood supply: lateral circumflex femoral artery, deep femoral artery.

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Anterior compartment of thigh muscles (part 2)