Adductor magnus tendon !
The adductor magnus tendon attaches to a small bump on the inner femur just above the knee; it is a landmark for the inner knee.
Official name: Tendon of adductor magnus
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What it is
The tendon of the adductor magnus, ending on a bump on the inner femur above the knee.
What it does
Pulls the leg inward; a landmark for the MCL.
Key facts
- Attaches
- Rounded tendon of the hamstring (ischiocondylar) part to the adductor tubercle on the medial femoral condyle; the adductor hiatus opens between it and the aponeurotic part
- Function
- Carries the pull of the hamstring part (hip extension and adduction); palpable landmark just above the medial epicondyle and the MCL origin
- Tight in
- Hip abduction with flexion
Relations
- In front
- Vastus medialis, whose oblique fibres arise partly from it
- Lateral
- Adductor hiatus, between the tendon and the femur, through which the femoral artery and femoral vein pass into the popliteal fossa
- Superficial
- Sartorius, with the saphenous nerve and the descending genicular artery running down close to it
- Below
- Medial epicondyle, the femoral origin of the MCL and the attachment of the MPFL
How to find it
Seated with the knee bent, the medial femoral condyle is traced upward: the adductor tubercle is the small bump at its top, and the tendon is felt as a firm cord rising from it toward the inner thigh, tightening when the leg is pressed inward.
On imaging
On coronal and axial MRI it is a dark cord ending on the adductor tubercle; it helps locate the MPFL and MCL attachments just below it.
Clinical notes
- Landmark, together with fluoroscopic reference points, for the femoral fixation point in MPFL reconstruction
- Tenderness at the adductor tubercle can come from insertional tendinopathy of this tendon, an uncommon source of medial knee pain
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where does the adductor magnus tendon insert?
On the adductor tubercle at the top of the medial femoral condyle.
What passes through the adductor hiatus above the adductor magnus insertion?
The femoral artery and vein, which become the popliteal vessels; the artery is fixed there and at risk in distal femoral fractures.
Why is the adductor magnus tendon a landmark in MPFL reconstruction?
It leads to the adductor tubercle; the MPFL attaches between the tubercle and the medial epicondyle.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- adductor magnus TA2 2630
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Tendón del aductor mayor DeCS D013710
- English (TA2)
- Tendon of adductor magnus
- Also called
- adductor magnus muscle
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Thigh Adductor Magnus Muscle.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
