- Plantaris muscle
Muscle infobox
Name = Plantaris muscle
Latin = musculus plantaris
GraySubject = 129
GrayPage = 483
Caption = The mucous sheaths of the tendons around the ankle. Medial aspect. (Plantaris labeled at bottom right.)
Origin = Lateral supracondylar ridge offemur above lateral head of gastrocnemius
Insertion =Tendo calcaneus (medial side, deep togastrocnemius tendon)
Action =Plantar flexes foot and flexesknee
Antagonist =Tibialis anterior muscle
Blood =sural arteries
Nerve =tibial nerve
MeshName =
MeshNumber =
DorlandsPre = m_22
DorlandsSuf = 12550213Plantaris is a
vestigial structure and one of the superficialmuscle s of theposterior crural compartment of the leg.It is innervated by the
tibial nerve (S1, S2).Origin and insertion
It arises from the inferior part of the
lateral supracondylar line of thefemur at a position slightly superior to the origin of the lateral head ofgastrocnemius .Also, it may arise from the
oblique popliteal ligament .Passing inferomedially posterior to the
knee joint , it becomes tendinous while passing distally to insert into thetendo calcaneus , or occasionally separately inserting into the medial side of thecalcaneus .Functions
Plantaris acts to weakly:
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plantarflex the ankle joint
*flex the knee jointPlantaris may also provide proprioceptive feedback information to the central nervous system regarding the position of the foot. The unusually high density of proprioceptive receptor end organs supports this notion.
Its motor function is so minimal that its long tendon can readily be harvested for reconstruction elsewhere with little functional deficit. "Often mistaken for a nerve by freshman medical students, the muscle was useful to other primates for grasping with their feet. It has disappeared altogether in 9 percent of the population." [cite journal |last=Selim |first=Jocelyn |year=2004 |month=June |title=Useless Body Parts |journal=Discover |volume=25 |issue=6 |url=http://discovermagazine.com/issues/jun-04/features/useless-body-parts/ |accessdate=2007-02-18 ]
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External links
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* [http://www.ptcentral.com/muscles/musclelegs.html#plantaris PTCentral]
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