Massage.
MuscleThighsuperficialBeyond Cert IVDraft

SartoriusMusculus sartorius

Long, thin strap muscle, the longest in the body, running diagonally across the front of the thigh from the ASIS to the inner knee, which helps flex, abduct and laterally rotate the hip and bend the knee.

No image yet
LatinMusculus sartorius
Origin
  • Anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) and the upper part of the notch below it
Insertion
  • Upper medial surface of the tibia, at the pes anserinus (in front of gracilis and semitendinosus)
Action
  • Flexes the hip
  • Abducts the hip (weak)
  • Laterally rotates the hip
  • Flexes the knee
  • Medially rotates the leg when the knee is bent
NerveFemoral nerve (L2–L4)
NameLatin sartor, 'tailor' — its actions together produce the cross-legged position tailors once sat in.

Palpation

  1. Client supine; stand beside the thigh.
  2. Find the ASIS and place your fingers just below and inside it.
  3. Ask the client to rest the outer ankle on the opposite shin (a 'figure 4' position) and lift the knee slightly against light resistance; feel the thin strap tighten.
  4. Trace it diagonally down and inwards across the front of the thigh towards the inner knee.

Landmarks: Anterior superior iliac spine

Sartorius is a thin ribbon that runs from the Anterior superior iliac spine diagonally down to the inner knee, crossing over the Quadriceps and Adductors. Its upper part forms the outer border of the femoral triangle, with Adductor longus on the inner side. Where it crosses the inner thigh it covers a channel (the adductor canal) carrying the femoral vessels, so avoid deep, pointed pressure along its middle third.

All of its actions are fairly weak, so it mainly assists other muscles. Sitting cross-legged combines all of them: hip flexion, abduction and lateral rotation with knee flexion. At the knee it joins Gracilis and Semitendinosus at the pes anserinus.

In most relaxation routines sartorius is covered by general Effleurage and Petrissage of the front and inner thigh. Tracing and working it on its own, such as Stripping along its length, is beyond Cert IV level.

Techniques

  • Effleurage — Long, gliding strokes with the whole palm that spread the medium, warm the tissue and link the other strokes together.
  • Petrissage — Kneading strokes that compress, lift and squeeze the muscle away from the bone, working the tissue between the hands.
  • Compression — Pressing straight down into a muscle with the palm, fist or forearm, holding briefly, then releasing and moving on.
  • Stripping — A slow, deep, narrow glide along the length of a single muscle with the thumb, knuckle or elbow, pausing over tight bands on the way.

Works with

  • Iliopsoas — Deep hip flexor made of psoas major and iliacus, running from the lumbar spine and inside of the pelvis to the lesser trochanter of the femur, and the strongest flexor of the hip.
  • Rectus femoris — Spindle-shaped muscle down the middle of the front of the thigh, the only quadriceps muscle that crosses the hip, so it both flexes the hip and straightens the knee.
  • Tensor fasciae latae — Small muscle at the front of the outer hip, just below the ASIS, that tightens the iliotibial band and helps flex, abduct and medially rotate the hip.
  • Gracilis — Long, thin strap muscle running down the inner edge of the thigh from the pubic bone to the upper inner tibia, which pulls the thigh inwards and helps bend the knee.
  • Semitendinosus — Inner hamstring muscle with a long, cord-like lower tendon that bends the knee, extends the hip and turns the leg inwards.

Opposes

  • Adductors — Group of five muscles on the inner thigh, running from the pubic bone and sitting bone to the femur and tibia, that pull the legs together.
  • Gluteus maximus — The largest and most superficial buttock muscle, and the main extensor of the hip.
  • Quadriceps — Group of four large muscles on the front of the thigh that join into one tendon over the kneecap and are the only muscles that straighten the knee.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Sartorius muscle
  2. Wikipedia: Femoral nerve