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Popliteus: anatomy, location and function

A small triangular muscle forming part of the floor of the popliteal fossa. Unlocks the extended knee by laterally rotating the femur on the fixed tibia, initiating flexion, and acts as a weak knee flexor.

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Highlighted in the model: Popliteus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Popliteus at a glance

What it is
A small triangular muscle forming part of the floor of the popliteal fossa.
Location
Originates from the lateral surface of the lateral femoral condyle and the lateral meniscus and inserts onto the posterior surface of the tibia above the soleal line.
Function
Unlocks the extended knee by laterally rotating the femur on the fixed tibia, initiating flexion, and acts as a weak knee flexor.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA22591 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: tibial nerve (L4–S1)
  • Blood supply: inferior genicular and posterior tibial arteries

Structures next to the popliteus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Popliteus (FMA22591). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.