Articularis Genus
Musculus articularis genus
A small deep muscle, often considered a distal slip of the vastus intermedius, the articularis genus pulls the suprapatellar bursa and synovial capsule superiorly during knee extension to prevent it from being pinched. It is not directly trained for strength but is functionally important for healthy knee mechanics.
- Actions
- Suprapatellar bursa retraction (knee extension)
- Origin
- Anterior surface of the distal femoral shaft, below the vastus intermedius.
- Insertion
- Proximal portion of the synovial membrane of the knee joint (suprapatellar bursa).
- Innervation
- Femoral nerve (L2–L4).
- Blood supply
- Femoral artery and descending genicular artery.