- Group
- Quadriceps femoris
- Model side
- Right
- Main action
- Knee extension
- Motor nerve
- Femoral nerve
Where is rectus femoris?
At the front of the thigh, superficial to vastus intermedius.
This is one of four quadriceps muscles. Use the selected surface as a starting point, then compare the neighboring meshes rather than judging position from the isolated silhouette alone.
Sources: OpenStax
Principal attachments
The direct head starts at the anterior inferior iliac spine; the reflected head starts above the acetabular rim.
Distally, the quadriceps tendon reaches the patella; the patellar ligament continues to the tibial tuberosity. The model does not separate this complete extensor apparatus into selectable tissues.
Sources: UAMS anatomy table · OpenStax
Function
It extends the knee and also flexes the hip.
Camera rotation is not joint movement. This viewer cannot demonstrate contraction, strength, tendon loading or an individual's range of motion.
Sources: UAMS anatomy table
Innervation
Motor innervation comes from the femoral nerve. Nerve branches and blood vessels are not loaded, so their paths cannot be inspected in this study.
Sources: UAMS anatomy table
Read the model
Explore right rectus femoris in 3D
- Orient the isolated mesh. Compare its upper end with the hip bone, then follow its surface toward the kneecap.
- Restore this side. Show context loads the existing same-side assembly: 31 bones and 21 muscle parts. It does not switch to the opposite leg or provide a complete dissection.
- Compare the four muscles. Open the regional thigh guide for a closer view and side-matched reading links. Right thigh →
Sources and editorial status
This guide uses independently written explanations with links to the evidence behind them. Source checking and specialist anatomical review are separate steps; the latter is still pending.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e — Appendicular muscles of the pelvic girdle and lower limbs
Quadriceps positions, group action and the tendon–patella–patellar ligament pathway. No textbook images are reproduced.
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — Muscles of the lower limb
Individual quadriceps rows: principal proximal attachments, actions and femoral nerve supply. Attachment descriptions here are introductory, not exhaustive.
3D geometry and its separate license are credited beneath the viewer. References do not imply endorsement of this site.