This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Gracilis muscle (anatomy)

Authoring team

Gracilis is one of the medial thigh muscles. It originates from the body and inferior ramus of the pubis. As a long, slender strap, it passes distally on the medial aspect of the thigh. It inserts into the anteromedial surface of the superior part of the tibia. At its insertion it lies posterior to the insertion of sartorius but anterior to that of semitendinosus.

Gracilis is innervated by the anterior division of the obturator nerve (L2,L3).

Crossing both hip joint and knee joint, it acts to weakly:

  • adduct the thigh at the hip joint
  • flex the thigh at the hip joint
  • medially rotate the knee when the latter is flexed

Gracilis tends to play a supplementary role in most of these movements and as such, it is readily used as substitute muscle at other sites.


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.