Sartorius Muscle: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment

Sartorius muscles tend to be the longest muscle in the body which runs from your hip through the front of your thighs and inserts near the inward part of your knee. This muscle helps with functions such as bending your knees, rotating, and flexing your hips and is present in both your legs.

In this article, we will discuss the functions and anatomy of sartorius muscles along with possible painful muscle conditions and possible treatments.

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Sartorius Muscle Function

Functions of the tailor muscle (Image via Pexels/Savvas Stavrinos)

Since this muscle tends to be one of the longest in the body, crossing both the hips and knee joints, it serves many functions. They include:

1. Rotation of Hips

The line of sartorius muscle from your hips across your thighs will help in the external rotation of your hips. This muscle will actively lift and rotate your hips externally if you lift your leg upwards in a standing position to look at the bottom of your shoes.

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2. Flexion of Hips

The sartorius muscle helps in the flexion of your hips, meaning that it will help in bending your knees upwards in a manner similar to that of marching. Your other muscles such as psoas also help in flexing your hip upwards.

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3. Flexion of Knees

These muscles tend to cross the inner area of your knee while attaching to the front of the shin bones. As this muscle contracts, it allows you to bend your knees. As a result, the sartorius muscle tends to become increasingly active with your knees bending as your hips rotate and flex.

The tailor's muscle is also referred to as the tailor’s muscle. This is because when sewing the seams of the clothes by hand, tailors are often used to adapt the position with their legs crossed over one another. In this case, your tailor's muscle is working.

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Anatomy of Sartorius Muscle

The sartorius muscle starts from the front part of the pelvis, also referred to as the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), before coursing down and across to the front part of your thigh.

This muscle then crosses towards the inner knee before moving to the front side of the shin bone to the region also known as the pes anserine. This tends to be one of the longest muscles in the human body and can be touched by positioning your hands on the front side of the hip and near the pelvic bone.

Various arteries provide a blood supply to this muscle at irregular intervals. Some of the blood vessels include the deep femoral, lateral femoral, and superficial circumflex iliac.

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Painful Sartorius Muscle

The painful sartorius muscle tends to be associated with several conditions that may seriously affect the mobility of your body. These include tear or muscle strains in sartorius, pes anserine tendonitis, and sartorius paresis. General injuries associated with this muscle include weakness due to a nerve injury, sartorius tendonitis, and sartorius tear.

The tailor's muscle injury generally occurs along with injuries to other legs muscles such as quadriceps and psoas. These muscles all work together for the movement of your body, which is why injuries to one muscle impact the other as well.

Tailor's muscle (Image via Pexels/Maksim Goncharenok)

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Treatment

You should immediately consult a medical professional in case you are feeling leg weakness or pain. The problems and injuries associated with the tailor's muscle tend to heal within a time frame of about four to six weeks. In case of injury to this muscle, it is best recommended to work with a physical therapist for proper recovery. The course of treatment might vary based on the severity of your injuries as well as any other health conditions.

The tailor’s muscle or sartorius tends to be among the longest muscles in your body which crosses both your joints. These muscles help with bending of knees, flexing your hips, and rotation of the hips externally. A basic understanding of this muscle will help you to understand its functions along with the rehabilitation process in case of injury.