Semimembranosus muscle

Knee joint: flexion, internal rotation

The musculus semimembranosus (Latin for " halbmembranöser muscle " ) is one of the posterior skeletal muscles of the thigh. It owes its name to its broad tendon of origin. Both the tendon and the muscle belly show in the upper part of an indentation in the semitendinosus runs.

In the horse, the muscle has a whirling head, so a second origin at the cross and first caudal vertebrae. In dogs and cats the muscle is divided into two bellies. For animals for slaughter the muscle is part of the upper shell.

Function

The musculus semimembranosus stretches the hip joint. He also flexes the knee and rotates the leg inwards.

An involvement of the musculus semimembranosus (and the other two muscles of the hamstrings muscles, Mm. Biceps femoris caput longum and semitendinosus ) is to extend the knee joint of the people under the concept of Lombard 's paradox known.