Function
The four-headed thigh muscle is almost completely responsible for stretching the legs (extension). It therefore plays a very important role in everyday movements. When standing up from a squatting position (squats), during a full-tension shot in soccer or when climbing stairs, the quadriceps femoris muscle is put under particular strain.
But even when standing upright, the muscle stabilizes the knee joint. Without it, the leg would literally buckle. The quadriceps femoris muscle is also involved when bending the hip joint, for example when pulling the knee towards the chest.
However, its role here can be classified as minor. Furthermore, it stabilizes the kneecap in that its tendons virtually clamp it in place. This is important because otherwise the kneecap would jump out of its “slide rail” in the knee joint and could no longer fulfill its function.
Common diseases
Typical diseases of the quadriceps thigh muscle include above all sports injuries such as pulled muscles or torn muscle fibers. In extreme cases, a complete muscle tear can also occur. In addition, injuries to the patella tendon – particularly common in footballers – such as a rupture of the patella tendon, i.e. a torn tendon.
Strengthening and stretching
Overall, the four-headed thigh muscle is trained in all movements in which the leg is stretched. Classic examples are knee bends or climbing stairs. Squats are typically performed as follows: The feet are placed about shoulder width, then you squat down and straighten up again in a steady movement.
Athletes like to stretch their arms straight forward to stabilize the body. When squatting down, however, you should always make sure not to bend your legs more than 90° to avoid overloading the knee joint! For example, the one-legged stand is used to stretch the quadriceps femoris muscle. To do this, grasp the foot of the bent leg approximately at the front ankle joint and move the foot with the heel towards the buttocks. Both knees should be close together so that the thighs are virtually parallel to each other.Synergists: Musculus sartorius (sartorius muscle) Antagonists: Musculus biceps femoris (biceps femoris muscle), Musculus semitendinosus (semitendinous muscle), Musculus semimembranosus (semimembranous muscle)
