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Semitendinosus
Other Terms:
Semitendinosus muscle,
Musculus semitendinosus,
Muscle semi-tendineux
Muscle parts
None
Latin name
Musculus semitendinosus
Latin muscle parts
None
Group
Thigh muscle – posterior compartment
Etymology
The English name for this muscle is the half tightly stretched band muscle. The word semitendinosus comes from the Latin word semis meaning “half” and the Latin tendere meaning “to stretch.” The Latin arose from the Greek tenonitis meaning a “tightly stretched band,” which came from the Greek verb teino meaning “to stretch.”
Origin
Medial aspect of the superior part of the ischial tuberosity via a shared tendon with the biceps femoris
Insertion
Medial shaft of the tibia just distal to the medial condyle; attaches slightly distal to the gracilis and posterior to the sartorius
Action
Extension of the hip; flexion of the knee; medial rotator of the semiflexed knee.
Action
Extension of the hip; flexion of the knee; medial rotator of the semiflexed knee.
Nerve supply
Tibial nerve (L5, S1, and S2)
Blood supply
From proximal to distal, the muscle is supplied by the posterior branch of the obturator artery, the inferior gluteal artery, the perforating branches of the deep femoral artery, direct muscular branches from the popliteal artery, and inferior medial genicular branch of the popliteal artery.
Latin
Musculus semitendinosus
French
Muscle semi-tendineux