BIO 201: Lower Limb Muscles

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering pelvic girdle stability, femoral movement, the iliopsoas group, gluteal musculature layers, and lower limb anatomy from Lecture 15.

Appendicular Muscles of the Lower Body

Muscles of the lower body that position and stabilize the pelvic girdle.

Pelvic Girdle

A skeletal structure that has significantly less range of motion than the shoulder (pectoral girdle) because it was designed to stabilize and support the weight of the body.

Femur Muscle Origins

The anatomical rule that most muscles that insert on the femur and move it originate on the pelvic girdle.

Iliopsoas Group

A group of three deep muscles—consisting of the psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus—that function to move the femur.

Psoas Major

A deep muscle that, along with the psoas minor and iliacus, makes up the iliopsoas group to move the femur.

Psoas Minor

A muscle belonging to the iliopsoas group located alongside the psoas major on the anterior lumbar region.

Iliacus

A deep muscle lining the iliac fossa that unites with the psoas muscles to form the iliopsoas group.

Gluteal Muscles

A collection of some of the largest and most powerful muscles in the body, consisting of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.

Gluteus Maximus

The most superficial and largest muscle of the gluteal group.

Gluteus Medius

An intermediate gluteal muscle located underneath the gluteus maximus and superficial to the gluteus minimus.

Gluteus Minimus

The deepest muscle of the gluteal group, situated deep underneath the gluteus medius.

Anterior Hip and Thigh Muscles

Muscles on the anterior thigh that include the tensor fascia lata, pectineus, sartorius, adductor longus, gracilis, adductor magnus, and the quadriceps femoris (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis).

Posterior Thigh Muscles

Muscles of the posterior compartment of the thigh, including the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, gracilis, and adductor magnus.