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Tensor fasciae latae: anatomy, location and function

A small hip muscle at the front and side of the thigh. Abducts, flexes and medially rotates the thigh and tenses the iliotibial tract to steady the knee.

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Highlighted in the model: Tensor fasciae latae. 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.

Tensor fasciae latae at a glance

What it is
A small hip muscle at the front and side of the thigh.
Location
Originates from the anterior superior iliac spine and anterior iliac crest and inserts into the iliotibial tract, which attaches to the lateral tibial condyle.
Function
Abducts, flexes and medially rotates the thigh and tenses the iliotibial tract to steady the knee.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA22425 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: superior gluteal nerve (L4–S1)
  • Blood supply: superior gluteal and lateral circumflex femoral arteries

Structures next to the tensor fasciae latae

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Tensor fasciae latae (FMA22425). 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.