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The gastrocnemius muscle is superficial to (closer to the skin than) the soleus, which lies below the gastrocnemius. The plantaris muscle and a portion of its tendon run between the two muscles. Deep to it (further from the skin) is the transverse intermuscular septum , which separates the superficial posterior compartment of the leg from the ...
The superficial portion (the gastrocnemius) gives off two heads attaching to the base of the femur directly above the knee. The deep (profundus) mass of muscle (the soleus) forms the remaining head which attaches to the superior posterior area of the tibia. The triceps surae is innervated by the tibial nerve, specifically, nerve roots L5–S2.
Along with the soleus muscle, the gastrocnemius forms half of the calf muscle. Its function is plantar flexing the foot at the ankle joint and flexing the leg at the knee joint. The gastrocnemius is primarily involved in running, jumping and other "fast" movements of leg, and to a lesser degree in walking and standing.
body of tibia: medial cuneiform and first metatarsal bones of foot: anterior tibial artery: deep fibular nerve: dorsiflexes and inverts foot: fibularis longus, gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris, tibialis posterior: 2 1 extensor hallucis longus: Lower limb, Leg, Anterior Compartment
It is one of the plantar flexors in the posterior compartment of the leg, along with the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. The plantaris is considered to have become an unimportant muscle when human ancestors switched from climbing trees to bipedalism and in anatomically modern humans it mainly acts with the gastrocnemius. [1]
The first category includes movements such as standing calf raises, donkey calf raises and stair calves. The second category includes movements that maintain a bent knee, such as seated calf raises. Movements with a straight knee will target the gastrocnemius muscle more, and movements with a bent-knee will target the soleus muscle more.
Bridging exercises are done with a flexed knee to lessen the stretch on the hamstring (a knee flexor) and focus the hip extension work on the gluteus maximus. In that same respect, the reduced knee flexion makes plantar flexion work comparable to a seated calf raise, due to the lessened stretch on the gastrocnemius (like the hamstring, also a knee flexor).
The gastrocnemius also flexes the leg at the knee. Both muscles are innervated by the tibial nerve. [14] Because the fibres of the tendon spiral about 90 degrees, fibres from the gastrocnemius tend to attach to the outer part of the bone, whereas fibres from the soleus tend to attach closer to the midline. [11]