Biceps femoris muscle

Biceps femoris
Posterior view of right leg. Long head of muscle highlighted in red, short head (yellow) labeled in the lower part of the image
Details
OriginTuberosity of the ischium, linea aspera, femur
InsertionThe head of the fibula which articulates with the back of the lateral tibial condyle
ArteryDeep femoral artery, perforating arteries; long head of biceps femoris: perforating branches from profunda femoris artery
NerveLong head: tibial nerve
short head: common fibular nerve
ActionsFlexes knee joint, laterally rotates knee joint (when knee is flexed), extends hip joint (long head only)
AntagonistQuadriceps muscle
Identifiers
Latinmusculus biceps femoris
TA98A04.7.02.032
TA22638
FMA22356
Anatomical terms of muscle

The biceps femoris (/ˈbsɛps ˈfɛmərɪs/) is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it consists of two heads; the long head is considered part of the hamstring muscle group, while the short head is sometimes excluded from this characterization, as it only causes knee flexion (but not hip extension)[1] and is activated by a separate nerve (the peroneal, as opposed to the tibial branch of the sciatic nerve).

  1. ^ Rodgers, Cooper D.; Raja, Avais. StatPearls - Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hamstring Muscle. StatPearls Publishing. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.