Popliteal muscle
Musculus popliteus
Flexes the stifle and turns the leg inward.
About the popliteal muscle of the horse
Popliteal muscle is a muscle of the back leg (pelvic limb), one on each side of the body. Its name in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria is Musculus popliteus. You can turn it above, see it in place in the back leg of the horse, and open it inside the whole animal in Vetomica.
Where it runs from and to
A muscle is told apart from its neighbours by what it takes hold of at each end, which is also what decides what it does when it shortens.
- Origin
- The lateral condyle of the femur, in the popliteal fossa.
- Insertion
- The triangular area on the caudal surface of the proximal tibia.
- Action
- Flexes the stifle and turns the leg inward.
- Nerve
- The tibial nerve.
Written for Vetomica in its own words from the standard reference anatomy of the horse; the books it was checked against are listed below.
Terminology
- English
- Popliteal muscle
- Latin (NAV)
- Musculus popliteus
- Status
- A valid term in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria
Questions about the popliteal muscle
- What is the Latin name of the popliteal muscle?
- In the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, the popliteal muscle is called Musculus popliteus.
- Where is the popliteal muscle of the horse?
- Popliteal muscle is a muscle of the back leg (pelvic limb), one on each side of the body.
- Where does the popliteal muscle originate and insert?
- Origin: The lateral condyle of the femur, in the popliteal fossa. Insertion: The triangular area on the caudal surface of the proximal tibia.
- What nerve supplies the popliteal muscle?
- The tibial nerve.
- What does the popliteal muscle do?
- Flexes the stifle and turns the leg inward.
See the popliteal muscle inside the whole horse.
Vetomica opens on this structure with every layer of the horse around it: peel back the skin and the muscles, cut a section through it, X-ray it, and practise naming it until you stop getting it wrong.
Free for 7 days, no card. After that the skeletons stay free.
