Triceps surae muscle
Musculus triceps surae
- Related terms: Triceps surae
Definition
The triceps surae muscle is the collective term for the three major muscles of the posterior compartment of the lower leg: the medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, and soleus. These muscles originate from the femur (gastrocnemii) and tibia/fibula (soleus), and converge distally to form the Achilles tendon, which inserts onto the calcaneus. The gastrocnemius muscles are superficial and biarticular, crossing both the knee and ankle joints, while the soleus lies deep and acts only on the ankle joint.
Insertion: Achilles tendon, calcaneus
Artery: Posterior tibial artery
Nerve: Tibial nerve
Action: Plantarflexion
Description: The Gastrocnemius and Soleus together form a muscular mass which is occasionally described as the Triceps surae; its tendon of insertion is the tendo calcaneus (Achilles tendon).
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
