MUSCLE COMPARTMENTSOF THE LIMBS

Upper

limbLower

Limb

Dense fibrous connective tissue divides the muscles of the limbs into anatomical compartments.These fascial compartmentsgroup muscles of similar developmental origin and function. Muscles in the same compartment have similar Actions and often function synergistically to produce a particular movement. Muscles in opposite compartments function asantagonist pairs. In most cases, each compartment is innervated by a single named nerve.

The upper limbThe upper limb has two compartments: anterior and

posterior. The muscles in the anterior compartment of the arm flexeither the shoulder or the elbow and are innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve The muscles of the anterior compartment of the forearm are

wrist and digital flexors and innervated by either the median nerveor the ulnar nerve

The muscles of the posterior compartments of the

arm and forearm extend the elbow and wrist, respectively.

These muscles, plus the supinator and brachioradialis

(developmentally posterior compartment muscles), are all innervated by branches off the radial nerve. Functionally, the supinator the forearm, and the brachioradialis, which crosses the anterior side of the elbow, acts as a forearm flexor. The actions of the muscles that move the arm, forearm.

The Lower LimbThe thigh portion of the lower limb has

three compartments:posterior, anterior, and medial .The muscles of the posterior compartment

extend the hip and flex the knee and are innervated by the tibial branch of the sciatic nerve.

The muscles of the anterior compartment

flex the hip and extend the knee and are

innervated by the femoral nerve. The muscles of the medial

compartment adduct the thigh and are innervated primarily

by the obturator nerve.

The leg also has three compartments: posterior, anterior, and lateral .

The posterior compartment contains the digital flexor

muscles and plantar flexors innervated by the tibial

nerve. The anterior compartment contains the

digital extensor muscles all innervated by the deep fibular nerve. The lateral compartment contains the fibularis muscles that plantar flex and evert the foot and are innervated by the superficial fibular nerve.

Made by Ahmed Abdulwahab

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