The quadriceps femoris is a label for a group of muscles. The rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. The four largest muscles at the front of the thigh sharing a common insertion.
To include the tensor of the vastus intermedius and articularis genus in a description of some form, then:
the anterior thigh muscles could be called the “hexiceps”
these smaller muscles could be described as accessories to the quadriceps
Most anatomy is simplified in some way. Delineations and groupings are made to aid learning and understanding, and the focus tends to be on the larger muscles, or those prone to pain, but musculo-fasico-skeletal anatomy tends to blend into adjacent structures much more than is generally appreciated so it is unsurprising that smaller muscles are not of common knowledge.
Interestingly the rectus femoris is the only one of the quadriceps femoris muscles that attaches to the pelvis—the only one to cross both hip and knee joints, and in my mind should be considered as the guide muscle for the rest of the quads.
The quadriceps femoris is a label for a group of muscles. The rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius and vastus medialis. The four largest muscles at the front of the thigh sharing a common insertion.
To include the tensor of the vastus intermedius and articularis genus in a description of some form, then:
the anterior thigh muscles could be called the “hexiceps”
these smaller muscles could be described as accessories to the quadriceps
Most anatomy is simplified in some way. Delineations and groupings are made to aid learning and understanding, and the focus tends to be on the larger muscles, or those prone to pain, but musculo-fasico-skeletal anatomy tends to blend into adjacent structures much more than is generally appreciated so it is unsurprising that smaller muscles are not of common knowledge.
Interestingly the rectus femoris is the only one of the quadriceps femoris muscles that attaches to the pelvis—the only one to cross both hip and knee joints, and in my mind should be considered as the guide muscle for the rest of the quads.