Skip to main content
Log in

Length and moment arm of human leg muscles as a function of knee and hip-joint angles

  • Published:
European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Lengths of muscle tendon complexes of the quadriceps femoris muscle and some of its heads, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius muscles, were measured for six limbs of human cadavers as a function of knee and hip-joint angles. Length-angle curves were fitted using second degree polynomials. Using these polynomials the relationships between knee and hip-joint angles and moment arms were calculated. The effect of changing the hip angle on the biceps femoris muscle length is much larger than that of changing the knee angle. For the rectus femoris muscle the reverse was found. The moment arm of the biceps femoris muscle was found to remain constant throughout the whole range of knee flexion as was the case for the medial part of the vastus medialis muscle. Changes in the length of the lateral part of the vastus medialis muscle as well as the medial part of the vastus lateralis muscle are very similar to those of vastus intermedius muscle to which they are adjacent, while those changes in the length of the medial part of the vastus medialis muscle and the lateral part of the vastus lateralis muscle, which are similar to each other, differ substantially from those of the vastus intermedius muscle. Application of the results to jumping showed that bi-articular rectus femoris and biceps femoris muscles, which are antagonists, both contract eccentrically early in the push off phase and concentrically in last part of this phase.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baratta R, Solomonow M, Zhou BH, Letson D, Chuinard R, D'Ambrosia R (1988) Muscular coactivation. The role of the antagonist musculature in maintaining knee stability. Am J Sports Med 16:113–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Bobbert MF, Ingen Schenau GJ van (1988) Coordination in vertical jumping. J Biomech 21:249–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Bobbert MF, Huijing PA, Ingen Schenau GJ van (1987) A model of the human triceps surae muscle-tendon complex applied to jumping. J Biomech 19:887–898

    Google Scholar 

  • Frigo C, Pedotti A (1978) Determination of muscle length during locomotion. In: Asmussen E, Jorgensen K (eds) Biomechanics VI-A. University Park Press, Baltimore, pp 355–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregoire L, Veeger HE, Huijing PA, Ingen Schenau GJ van (1984) Role of mono- and biarticular muscles in explosive movements. Int J Sports Med 5:301–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Grieve DW, Pheasant S, Cavanagh PR (1978) Prediction of gastrocnemius length from knee and ankle joint posture. In: Asmussen E, Jorgensen K (eds) Biomechanics VI-A. University Park Press, Baltimore, pp 405–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Harding ML, Harding L, Goodfellow JW (1977) Technical note: a preliminary report of a simple rig to aid study of the cadaver human knee joint. J Biomech 10:517–523

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindahl O, Movin A (1967) The mechanics of extension of the knee joint. Acta Orthop Scand 38:226–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Nemeth G (1985) In vivo moment arm lengths for hip extensor muscles at different angles of hip flexion. J Biomech 18:129–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasche PJ, Burke RK (1976) Kinesiology and applied anatomy. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, p 368

    Google Scholar 

  • Smidt GL (1973) Biomechanical analysis of knee flexion and extension. J Biomech 6:79–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Soest AJ van, Roebroeck ME, Bobbert MF, Huijing PA, Ingen Schenau GJ van (1985) A comparison of one-legged and twolegged countermovement jumps. Med Sci Sports Exerc 17:635–639

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendt PP, Johnson RP (1985) A study of quadriceps excursion, torque and the effect of patellectomy on cadaver knees. J Bone

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Visser, J.J., Hoogkamer, J.E., Bobbert, M.F. et al. Length and moment arm of human leg muscles as a function of knee and hip-joint angles. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 61, 453–460 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236067

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236067

Key words

Navigation