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Flexor muscles are those that contract to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. For example, the elbow joint flexes when the hand is brought closer to the shoulder, thus decreasing the angle between the upper arm and the forearm. The long flexor muscles of the hand include the flex carpal radialis muscle, the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle, the flexor pollicis longus muscle, the flexor digitorum profundus muscle, the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle, and the palmaris longus muscle. The hip flexor muscles include the iliacus, psoas, pectineus, rectus femoris, and sartorius.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Muscles that contract to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint |
| Examples | Flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor digitorum profundus, flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum longus, flexor digitorum brevis, flexor hallucis longus, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digiti minimi brevis pedis, iliopsoas, pectineus, adductor longus, glutei, iliacus, psoas, rectus femoris, sartorius |
| Function | Flexion of the hand, wrist, fingers, hip, knee, elbow, foot, toes |
| Issues | Golfer's elbow, Dupuytren contracture, Lower Crossed Syndrome, strains, tears, tendinosis, bursitis |
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What You'll Learn
Flexion of the hip joint
Flexion is a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. In the context of the hip joint, flexion draws the thigh towards the trunk, bringing the knee closer to the chest.
The hip joint is a multiaxial ball-and-socket joint that permits a wide range of motion. It is the most stable joint in the human body, designed for weight-bearing. The hip joint allows for three degrees of freedom: flexion, extension, and abduction, adduction, external rotation, internal rotation, and circumduction. The range of movement during passive hip flexion is about 120 degrees, reaching around 145 degrees during active flexion. Hip flexion is limited by the tension in the hamstrings when the knee is extended.
Hip flexion is made possible by the hip flexor muscles, which include the iliacus, psoas, pectineus, rectus femoris, and sartorius. The prime movers for hip flexion are the psoas major and iliacus muscles. The psoas major is a long, tapering muscle that originates at either side of the spine and inserts at the lesser trochanter of the femur. The psoas muscle contracts when the hip is flexed. The iliacus muscle is a triangular sheet that connects the ilium bone to the lesser trochanter. These two muscles are often grouped together as the iliopsoas musculotendinous unit due to their overlapping function and anatomic proximity.
The rectus femoris is one of the quadriceps and has two functions: flexion at the hip and extension of the knee. It is engaged intensely during activities such as kicking a soccer ball or swinging a straight leg forward. The sartorius, the longest muscle in the body, crosses the hip and knee joints. It originates at the anterior superior iliac spine and inserts on the pes anserinus, functioning to flex the hip and adduct the thigh, as well as externally rotate the leg. The pectineus acts as a hip flexor and secondary adductor, originating on the superior pubic ramus and inserting on the pectineal line of the femur.
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Flexor muscles of the forearm
Flexor muscles, as the name suggests, are muscles that contract to perform flexion, or bending. Flexor muscles of the forearm are responsible for flexion, adduction, and abduction of the hand at the wrist joint, as well as flexion of the fingers at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints.
The superficial anterior forearm muscles are a group of five muscles located in the anterior (flexor) compartment of the forearm. These muscles include the pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus, and flexor digitorum superficialis. The majority of muscles in this group are innervated by the median nerve, except for the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle, which is innervated by the ulnar nerve.
The flexor carpi radialis is a fusiform muscle situated medially to the pronator teres muscle. It originates from the medial epicondyle of the humerus and extends to the midpoint of the forearm, where it becomes a tendon. The tendon passes beneath the flexor retinaculum and attaches to the bases of the second and third metacarpal bones. The flexor carpi radialis produces movements of the hand at the wrist joint, including wrist flexion and wrist abduction (radial deviation).
The flexor carpi ulnaris is the most medial muscle of the group and has two heads: the humeral and ulnar heads. The humeral head originates from the medial epicondyle of the humerus, while the ulnar head arises from the olecranon and proximal two-thirds of the posterior surface of the ulna. The heads converge into a thick tendon that inserts onto the pisiform, hamate, and metacarpal bones. The flexor carpi ulnaris is the only muscle in the group innervated by the ulnar nerve and contributes to the flexion of the hand at the wrist joint.
The palmaris longus is the most superficial muscle of the group and originates from the medial epicondyle of the humerus. As it descends to the midpoint of the forearm, it becomes tendinous and passes through the flexor retinaculum to insert onto the palmar aponeurosis. The palmaris longus primarily acts with other superficial anterior forearm muscles to contribute to the balanced flexion of the hand at the wrist joint. It also stabilizes the elbow joint and produces a weak flexion of the second to fifth metacarpophalangeal joints.
The flexor digitorum superficialis is the largest muscle of the superficial anterior forearm muscles. It is the only muscle of the intermediate compartment and lies between the deep and superficial muscle layers in most individuals. The muscle has two heads: one originating from the medial epicondyle of the humerus and the other from the radius. The muscle splits into four tendons at the wrist, which attach to the base of the middle phalanx of the four digits. The flexor digitorum superficialis flexes the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the four fingers and also flexes at the wrist.
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Flexor digitorum longus and brevis
A flexor muscle is any muscle that contracts to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. For example, the elbow joint flexes when one brings their hand closer to their shoulder, thus decreasing the angle between the upper arm and the forearm.
The flexor digitorum longus and flexor digitorum brevis are two muscles found in the foot. The flexor digitorum brevis is an intrinsic muscle of the foot and is located within the first plantar muscle layer of the foot, between the plantar fascia and the tendons of the flexor digitorum longus. It originates from the medial process of the calcaneus (heel bone) and the plantar aponeurosis. It attaches to the middle phalanges of the lateral four toes and is supplied by the medial plantar nerve, a branch of the tibial nerve. The flexor digitorum brevis plays an important role in stabilising the longitudinal arch of the foot and is responsible for the flexion of the lateral four toes at the proximal interphalangeal joints.
The flexor digitorum longus, on the other hand, originates at the tibia (shinbone) and lies immediately superior to the flexor digitorum brevis. It also acts on the four smaller toes. Both muscles, along with other flexor muscles in the foot, may be affected by a condition called "Golfer's elbow", where inflammation affects the origins of the hand and wrist flexors.
In addition to the flexor digitorum longus and brevis, there are several other flexor muscles in the foot, including the flexor hallucis longus and brevis, which originate in the calf and near the heel, respectively, and flex the great toe. Another muscle is the flexor digiti minimi brevis pedis, which acts upon the smallest toe.
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Flexor digitorum profundus
Flexor muscles are those that contract to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. For example, one's elbow joint flexes when one brings their hand closer to the shoulder, thus decreasing the angle between the upper arm and the forearm.
The flexor digitorum profundus is a deep muscle that originates at the ulna (forearm bone) and acts to bend the fingers near their tips. It is considered an extrinsic hand muscle because it acts on the hand while its muscle belly is located in the forearm. It is one of the deep muscles of the anterior compartment (deep volar compartment) of the forearm. It is the most powerful and most bulky muscle of the forearm, forming the muscular elevation seen and felt on the posterior surface of the forearm medial to the subcutaneous posterior border of the ulna.
The flexor digitorum profundus is a fusiform muscle located deep within the anterior (flexor) compartment of the forearm. It is the mass action muscle and acts as the main gripping power of the hand. This is because the tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus arise at or below the wrist joint, while the tendons of the flexor digitorum superficialis arise in the distal third of the forearm. It is the sole flexor of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint of the 2nd to 5th digits. It also acts as a flexor of the midcarpal (wrist), metacarpophalangeal, and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers, along with the flexor digitorum superficialis.
The flexor digitorum profundus is supplied by the anterior interosseous artery, which is a branch of the common interosseous artery and is accompanied by the palmar interosseous branch of the median nerve. The flexor digitorum profundus lymphatic drainage is part of the upper limb lymph system, consisting of superficial and deep lymphatic vessels. The muscle is named from the Latin 'deep bender of the fingers'.
The flexor digitorum profundus lies deep to the flexor digitorum superficialis, but it attaches more distally. Therefore, the profundus's tendons go through the tendons of the superficialis, and end up attaching to the distal phalanx. For this reason, profundus is also called the perforating muscle. The lumbricals of the hand arise from the radial side of its tendons.
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Flexor carpi ulnaris
A flexor is a muscle that contracts to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. For example, the elbow joint flexes when a person brings their hand closer to the shoulder, thus decreasing the angle between the upper arm and forearm.
The flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) is a muscle of the forearm that flexes and adducts at the wrist joint. It is the most medial flexor muscle in the superficial compartment of the forearm. The FCU is the only muscle in the anterior compartment that is fully innervated by the ulnar nerve. The ulnar nerve gains access to the forearm by passing between the two heads of the FCU, the humeral head and the ulnar head. The tendon of the FCU can be seen and palpated beneath the skin immediately proximal to the wrist joint.
The FCU originates with two heads that are linked by a tendinous arch. The heads are named according to the bones they attach to. The smaller humeral head arises from the common flexor origin on the medial epicondyle of the humerus. The ulnar head originates from the olecranon and proximal part of the posterior border of the ulna. As the muscle fibres pass towards the wrist joint, they converge on a long tendon in the distal part of the forearm.
The FCU inserts onto the pisiform, hook of the hamate, and the anterior surface of the base of the fifth metacarpal. The FCU flexes and adducts at the wrist joint. It can move the hand sideways as well as flexing it. The FCU contracts with the flexor carpi radialis and palmaris longus to produce flexion of the hand at the wrist joint.
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Frequently asked questions
Flexor muscles are muscles that contract to perform flexion, a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint.
The long flexor muscles of the hand include the flex carpal radialis muscle, the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle, the flexor pollicis longus muscle, the flexor digitorum profundus muscle, the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle, and the palmaris longus muscle.
The flexor digitorum longus and flexor digitorum brevis are two flexor muscles in the foot, along with the flexor hallucis longus and flexor hallucis brevis, which flex the great toe.
Flexor muscles enable movements such as bending the elbow or knee and flexing the fingers, wrist, and toes. They also contribute to postural stability and smooth, efficient flexion of the digits.
Prolonged sitting or certain athletic activities can cause shortening and tightening of the hip flexor muscles, leading to functional problems and injuries. "Golfer's elbow" is a condition where the origins of the hand and wrist flexors are inflamed due to repetitive flexion.
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