Gastrocnemius muscle

Last revised by Maulik S Patel on 6 Feb 2022

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Jones J, Patel M, Hacking C, et al. Gastrocnemius muscle. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 24 Sep 2023) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-6024

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-6024

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/6024

rID:

6024

Article created:

9 Apr 2009, Jeremy Jones ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.

View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures

Last revised:

6 Feb 2022, Maulik S Patel

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Maulik S Patel had no recorded disclosures.

View Maulik S Patel's current disclosures

Revisions:

29 times, by 12 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Musculoskeletal

Sections:

Anatomy

Synonyms:

Gastrocnemius

The gastrocnemius muscle is one of the calf muscles (triceps surae) in the superficial posterior compartment of the leg which sits superficial to the much larger soleus muscle. It gives the calf its distinctive two-headed appearance and is a primary plantar flexor.

Its medial border of the lateral head and its lateral border of the medial head forms the inferolateral and inferomedial borders of the popliteal fossa respectively.

origin:
- medial head: posterior non-articular surface of the medial femoral condyle
- lateral head: posterior non-articular surface of the lateral femoral condyle
insertion: calcaneal (Achilles) tendon into mid-posterior calcaneus
action: plantar flexes the foot and flexes the knee
arterial supply: sural arteries
innervation: tibial nerve (sciatic nerve roots S1 and S2)
antagonist: tibialis anterior
key relationships
- superficial to soleus
- forms the inferior borders of the popliteal fossa