GLOSSARY

The vastus intermedius is the deepest muscle of the quadriceps group, lying directly on the anterior and lateral surfaces of the femur beneath the rectus femoris.

Attachments and Innervation

• Origin: the upper two-thirds of the anterior and lateral surfaces of the femoral shaft.
• Insertion: the deep surface of the quadriceps tendon and the patella.
• Nerve: the femoral nerve (L2–L4).
• Articularis genus: a few deep fibres of the vastus intermedius that attach to the suprapatellar bursa and pull it upwards during knee extension so that it is not pinched between the patella and femur.