Gracilis


 * Author: Mike Shikwambana**

toc =Description = Gracilis is a long, strap-like muscle that is found in the medial (ADDUCTOR) compartment of the thigh. Gracilis is the most superficial muscle of the adductor group of muscles and it is the only muscle that crosses the knee joint. It originates from the lower half of the body of pubis and inferior ramus of the pubis and the ramus of the ischium. The muscle then runs inferiorly where it then inserts on the medial surface of the proximal body of the tibia. The gracilis muscle performs the following actions; adducts the thigh at the hip joint, medially rotates the thigh at the hip, and flexes the leg at knee joint. The nerve supply of this muscle is the obturator nerve (which arises from roots L2, L3) and the blood supply to this muscle is supplied by the gracilis vessels which arise from the medial femoral circumflex system. = = =Interactions and relations to other Muscles = The gracilis muscle lies next to the adductor magnus muscle. Gracilis is the most superficial muscle of the adductor group of muscles and it is the only muscle that crosses the knee joint. Its synergists are adductor magnus and adductor longus in adduction of the hip. Gracilis is also a synergist to sartorius muscle in flexion of the knee. Its antagonists are gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius and sartorius in when it performs adduction of the hip, and rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius in flexion of the knee.

=Relevance to Occupational Therapy = Isolated gracilis muscle tears refer to injury to the muscle which leads to development of pain along the back of the thigh from a hamstring injury. The hamstring muscle is divided into four parts: the semimembranosus, semitendinosis, biceps femoris, and gracilis. There are several sports that are associated with this injury; dancing, soccer, tennis, and athletics. The injury is caused by adduction combined with full hip flexion and internal rotation injury. As occupational therapists our work is to educate the athletes involved in the sports mentioned above about their pain to reduce the fear which they may have about the pain and injury encountered. The role of an occupational therapist is to do an intervention using meaningful occupation to make them regain their ability to participate in their occupation. The OT would firstly perform an activity analysis which assists the OT in identifying the movements required to perform the client’s chosen activity and then he/she will use these activities as therapy.

=Links to online interactive material =

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media type="youtube" key="cuIdw_PBK5I" height="315" width="560" =References= [] [] Tortora, G. J., & Nielsen, M. T. (2009). Principles human anatomy (11th ed). USA [] []