n.
A muscle with origin in the ramus of the pubis, with insertion to the shaft of the tibia, with nerve supply from the obturator nerve, and whose action adducts the thigh, flexes the knee, and rotates the leg medially.
| Medical Dictionary: grac·i·lis muscle |
A muscle with origin in the ramus of the pubis, with insertion to the shaft of the tibia, with nerve supply from the obturator nerve, and whose action adducts the thigh, flexes the knee, and rotates the leg medially.
| 5min Related Video: Gracilis muscle |
| Veterinary Dictionary: gracilis muscle |
A muscle which occupies the medial surface of the thigh; arises from the pelvic symphysis and inserts on the tibial crest.
| Wikipedia: Gracilis muscle |
| Gracilis muscle | |
|---|---|
| The gracilis and nearby muscles | |
| Gracilis labeled at center right. | |
| Latin | musculus gracilis |
| Gray's | subject #128 471 |
| Origin | ischiopubic ramus |
| Insertion | tibia (pes anserinus) |
| Artery | medial circumflex femoral artery |
| Nerve | anterior branch of obturator nerve |
| Actions | flexes and adducts hip, knee |
The Gracilis (Latin: slender) is the most superficial muscle on the medial side of the thigh. It is thin and flattened, broad above, narrow and tapering below. It arises by a thin aponeurosis from the anterior margins of the lower half of the symphysis pubis and the upper half of the pubic arch.
The muscle's fibers run vertically downward, ending in a rounded tendon. This tendon passes behind the medial condyle of the femur, curves around the medial condyle of the tibia where it becomes flattened, and inserts into the upper part of the medial surface of the body of the tibia, below the condyle. As a result of this the muscle is a lower limb adductor. At its insertion the tendon is situated immediately above that of the semitendinosus muscle, and its upper edge is overlapped by the tendon of the sartorius muscle, which it joins to form the pes anserinus. The pes anserinus is separated from the medial collateral ligament of the knee-joint by a bursa.
A few of the fibers of the lower part of the tendon are prolonged into the deep fascia of the leg.
Contents |
The gracilis muscle is commonly used as a flap in microsurgery. According to the classification of Mathes and Nahai it presents a type II blood supply. This allows it to be transferred on its artery derived from the medial circumflex femoral artery. This artery enters the muscle about 10 cm from the pubic symphysis. At this point (or 1 cm proximal) the nerve also enters.
Gracilis muscle is widely used in reconstructive surgery, either as a pedicled flap or as a free microsurgical flap. Both pedicled and free flaps can be muscular or musculocutaneos (the so- called "composite flaps"). As a pedicled flap, gracilis muscle can be used in perineal and vaginal reconstruction, after oncological surgery, in the treatment of recurrent anovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas as well in the coverage of the neurovascular bundle after vascular surgery [1].
As a functioning pedicled flap the gracilis muscle can be transferred for the treatment of anal incontinence. This technique called graciloplasty was described in the 1950s by Pickrell and was revolutionized in the late 1980s by the introduction of chronic muscle electro-stimulation. The gracilis microsurgical free flap is commonly used in the reconstruction of upper and lower limbs, in breast reconstruction and, as a free functioning flap, to restore forearm function or in dynamic reconstruction of facial paralysis.Gracilis Muscles Clinical Role
The muscle may be split to reduce bulk for facial reanimation, as well as to repair hand muscles. It can be used to fashion an external anal sphincter. [2]
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| dropped | |
| Fecal Incontinence: Treatment | |
| Ascending branch of medial circumflex femoral artery |
| Is the phylum euglena gracilis autotrophic or heterotrophic? Read answer... | |
| How do you get muscle? Read answer... | |
| What does a muscle do? Read answer... |
| What is the gracilis muscle an example of? | |
| Why gracilis muscle is kn as vargineus muscle? | |
| Where are the sartorius and gracilis are superficial muscles located at the? |
Copyrights:
![]() | Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Read more | |
![]() | Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gracilis muscle". Read more |