The two large muscles are together known as a calf muscle.
- Gastrocnemius
- Soleus
1. Gastrocnemius-
It is the larger calf muscle forming the bulge of calf muscle which is visible beneath the skin. The two heads of the gastrocnemius muscle
together create a diamond shape of the muscle.
Origin- medial head: medial epicondyle of the femur
lateral head: lateral epicondyle of the femur
Insertion- calcaneus via tendo achillis
Nerve supply-tibial nerve
Blood supply- branch of popliteal artery anterior and posterior tibial artery
Action- plantar flexion of the ankle or assist flexion of the knee
Palpation- the upper half of the posterior calf during active plantarflexion of ankle .tendon palpated as part of Achilles tendon. Gastro is the Greek term for “belly”.this muscle can act on the knee or the ankle separately but not simultaneously.
Soleus
It is a smaller calf muscle and it lies underneath the gastrocnemius muscle.
Origin- a sole line of the tibia, posterior head, and upper shaft of fibula
Insertion- calcaneus via tendo achillis
Nerve supple- tibial nerve (s1,2)
Blood supply-branch of popliteal artery anterior and posterior tibial
Action- plantarflexion of ankle
Palpation- lateral side of lower leg during active plantarflexion of the muscle tendon palpated as part of Achilles tendon.
The calf muscle is also known as a “second heart of human body”
During walking the calf muscle to pump the venous blood back towards your heart .the veins in calf muscle act as a reservoir.
