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Semimembranosus: anatomy, location and function

A hamstring muscle on the posteromedial thigh with a long flat tendon of origin. Extends the thigh at the hip, flexes the knee and medially rotates the flexed leg.

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Highlighted in the model: Semimembranosus. 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.

Semimembranosus at a glance

What it is
A hamstring muscle on the posteromedial thigh with a long flat tendon of origin.
Location
Originates from the ischial tuberosity and inserts onto the posterior part of the medial tibial condyle, with an expansion forming the oblique popliteal ligament.
Function
Extends the thigh at the hip, flexes the knee and medially rotates the flexed leg.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA22448 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: tibial division of the sciatic nerve (L5–S2)
  • Blood supply: perforating branches of the profunda femoris artery

Clinical relevance

It can be torn in proximal hamstring injuries, though biceps femoris long head is strained most often.

Structures next to the semimembranosus

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Semimembranosus (FMA22448). 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.