Vastus Medialis Oblique

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Description[edit | edit source]

Prime mover for screw home movement with Vastus Lateralis.

Origin[edit | edit source]

Medial side of femur

Insertion[edit | edit source]

Quadirceps tendon

Action[edit | edit source]

Increase mechanical advantage of knee joint to perform knee extention by other heads of quadriceps.

Function[edit | edit source]

Increase mechanical advantage of knee joint to perform knee extention by other heads of quadriceps.

Other Important Information[edit | edit source]

Is it a real muscle or a gost?[edit | edit source]

For physiotherapist vastus medialis oblique (VMO) is a well known muscle. But some anatomist do not accept VMO as real muscle. The first paper I have seen was a letter to editor [ref needed]. In this letter it is clearly stated that VMO is not an independent muscle. It is a part of vastus medilis.

Recent years the topic is still unclear. You can find a list of articles below;

  • Smith TO, Nichols R, Harle D, Donell ST. Do the vastus medialis obliquus and vastus medialis longus really exist? A systematic review. Clin Anat. 2009 Mar;22(2):183-99.
  • Pattyn E, Verdonk P, Steyaert A, Vanden Bossche L, Van den Broecke W, Thijs Y, Witvrouw E. Vastus medialis obliquus atrophy: does it exist in patellofemoral pain syndrome? Am J Sports Med. 2011 Jul;39(7):1450-5. Epub 2011 Apr 12.
  • Günal I, Araç S, Sahinoğlu K, Birvar K. The innervation of vastus medialis obliquus. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1992 Jul;74(4):624.
  • Holt G, Nunn T, Allen RA, Forrester AW, Gregori A. Variation of the vastus medialis obliquus insertion and its relevance to minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2008 Jun;23(4):600-4. Epub 2008 Mar 4.
  • Lin YF, Lin JJ, Cheng CK, Lin DH, Jan MH. Association between sonographic morphology of vastus medialis obliquus and patellar alignment in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2008 Apr;38(4):196-202. Epub 2007 Nov 21

References[edit | edit source]