Quick Facts
Origin: Lateral supracondylar line of femur.
Insertion: Posterior surface of calcaneus.
Action: Assists in plantarflexion of foot at ankle joint; assists in flexion of leg at knee joint.
Innervation: Tibial nerve (S1-S2).
Arterial Supply: Sural, popliteal, and superior lateral genicular arteries.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The plantaris muscle originates from the:
- inferior half of the lateral supracondylar line of femur;
- oblique popliteal ligament.
Insertion
The fibers of the plantaris muscle travel inferomedially and insert, via a long, narrow tendon, onto the posterior surface of calcaneus either:
- directly, where the tendon of plantaris attaches to the calcaneus, medial to the calcaneal tendon;
- indirectly, where the tendon of plantaris merges with the calcaneal tendon, which attaches to the calcaneus.
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The plantaris muscle is one of the muscles of the superficial part of the posterior compartment of the leg. It is a long, narrow, fusiform skeletal muscle.
It is located:
- anterior (deep) to the medial head of gastrocnemius muscle and the calcaneal tendon;
- posterior (superficial) to the femur and tibia, the capsule of the knee joint, the ankle joint, and the popliteus and soleus muscles;
- medial to the lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle.
Actions
The plantaris muscle is involved in multiple actions:
- assists in plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle joint;
- assists in flexion of the leg at the knee joint (Standring, 2016).
List of Clinical Correlates
- Plantaris tendon grafts
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.
Actions
The plantaris muscle is involved in multiple actions:
- assists in plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle joint;
- assists in flexion of the leg at the knee joint (Standring, 2016).
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Plantaris Muscle
The tendon of the plantaris muscle, which originates from the lateral femoral epicondyle and lateral meniscus, runs obliquely between the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles to insert into the medial aspect of the superior calcaneal tuberosity medial to the Achilles tendon.
