Anatomy Of The Vastus Lateralis Muscle - Everything You Need To Know - Dr. Nabil Ebraheim

Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes anatomy of the vastus lateralis muscle in the thigh.
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The vastus lateralis muscle originates from the greater trochanter of the femur and from the lateral lip of the linea aspera. The muscle loops around the shaft of the femur from posterior to anterior towards its insertion with the quadriceps tendon. The vastus lateralis muscle inserts into the lateral base and border of the patella. The vastus lateralis muscle forms the lateral side of the quadriceps tendon, and it also forms the lateral patellar retinaculum. The vastus lateralis muscle is part of the quadriceps femoris. The quadriceps femoris is supplied by the femoral nerve. The quadriceps are four muscles. The vastus lateralis is one of the quadriceps. The rectus femoris muscle is part of the quadriceps which is supplied by the femoral nerve. The vastus lateralis is responsible for knee extension. The vastus lateralis does not cross the hip, therefore it does not cause hip flexion, unlike the rectus femoris muscle. The descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery runs between the vastus lateralis and the vastus intermedius muscles. Posteromedial to the vastus lateralis is the intermuscular septum which separates the anterior and posterior compartments of the thigh. The posterior compartment is important because it contains the sciatic nerve. The posterior compartment also contains the biceps femoris muscle. In lateral approach to the femur, you can split the vastus lateralis or lift the vastus lateralis from the intermuscular septum. Watch out for the perforators. The perforators are branches of the profunda femoris artery that lie deep within the vastus lateralis muscle. You should identify them and ligate them to prevent bleeding. The vastus lateralis muscle flap can be used to fill a cavity after girdlestone procedure. The vastus lateralis muscle also has a role in balancing the forces during sliding trochanteric osteotomy when this muscle balances the pulling force of the abductor muscles, which is helpful in avoiding major displacement of the greater trochanter.