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Gluteus minimus
Other Terms:
Musculus gluteus minimus,
Muscle petit fessier
Muscle parts
None
Latin name
Musculus gluteus minimus
Latin muscle parts
None
Group
Hip joint muscle – gluteal group
Etymology
In English, this muscle’s name is the smallest muscle of the buttocks. The term gluteus comes from the Greek gloutos meaning “buttocks.”The word minimus is Latin for “smallest.”
Origin
Between the anterior and inferior gluteal lines of the ilium.
Insertion
Ridge on the anterior and lateral surface of the greater trochanter of the femur and the capsule of the hip joint.
Action
Abductor of the hip joint (important in supporting the upright hip when opposite foot is raised off of the ground); anterior fibers rotate the hip joint medially.
Nerve supply
Superior gluteal nerve (L4, L5, and S1)
Blood supply
The superior gluteal artery, small branches from the inferior gluteal artery, and the internal pudendal artery, all from the internal iliac artery, supply the muscle. The lateral circumflex femoral artery supplies the muscle near its insertion.
Latin
Musculus gluteus minimus
French
Muscle petit fessier