Muscle Learning

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Muscles of TMJ and mastication

Phrase: MMDelicious BLT

- Masseter:
o Description: lateral side of mandible; every other muscle in this
section is deep to this
o Function: closes jaw
o How to remember: An m for an m M&M mandible and masseter;
you close your jaw to hold mass amounts of food
- Medial Pterygoid:
o Description: deep from masseter; two-headed muscle
o Function: protracts jaw and side-to-side grinding
o How to remember: Pterygoid processes are deep to mandible (medial
pterygoid deep to masseter); Ariana Grande protracts her jaw when
she sings high notes as she works side-to-side.
- Digastric:
o Description: v-shaped muscle consisting of two bellies united by an
intermediate tendon
o Function: open mouth by depressing mandible
o How to remember: You open your mouth with this muscle to digest
food and feed your belly; gastric = stomach
- Buccinator:
o Description: thin, horizontal cheek muscle, deep to masseter
o Function: compress cheek (for sucking and whistling)
o How to remember: Pirate buccaneers suck on lemons to avoid scurvy.
- Lateral Pterygoid:
o Description: deep from massester; two-headed muscle; superior to
medial pterygoid
o Function: same function as medial pterygoid
o How to remember: same example as medial pterygoid
- Temporalis:
o Description: fan-shaped convergent muscle that covers parts of
temporal, frontal, and parietal bones, attaches to coronoid process of
mandible
 o Function: closes jaw
o How to remember: When temperatures rise, you fan yourself from the
side of your face; when you want to hold in your temper and refrain
from talking, you close your jaw.

Muscles of anterior and posterior thorax: movement of the scapula

Phrase: PSST...Love Rowing? (Rowing does wonders with your back areaand the
scapula is posterior so this is what I came up with)
Color = protracts scapula, color = retracts scapula, color = rotates scapula
downward, color = rotates scapula upward, color = rotates scapula, color =
stabilizes and depresses pectoral girdle, color = stabilizes scapula, color = elevates
scapula, color = adducts scapula
- Pectoralis minor:
o Description: flat, thin muscle deep to pectoralis major; above pectoralis
major
o Function: protracts and rotates scapula downward
o How to remember: pectoralis protracts; feeling down about a minor
problem
- Serratus anterior:
o Description: fan-shaped; lies deep to scapula, deep and inferior to
pectoral muscles on lateral rib cage; forms medial wall of axilla; origins
look like sawtooth from anterior view
o Function: rotates scapula upward
o How to remember: Jaws lies deep in the ocean where it swims upward
and comes from behind your back (the scapula is posterior) to bite you
with its serrated teeth into your rib cage.
- Subclavius:
o Description: small cylindrical muscle under clavicle and extends from
rib 1 to clavicle
o Function: stabilizes and depresses pectoral girdle
o How to remember: sub = under, clavi- = clavicle; therefore, pulls
pectoral girdle down
- Trapezius:
 o Description: most superficial muscle of posterior thorax; flat and
triangular
o Function: stabilizes, elevates, retracts, and rotates scapula
o How to remember: looks like trapezoid when you remove the tendon
from insertion; this muscle has the most highlights in this section, so I
think of how a trapeze artist has many routines
- Levator scapulae:
o Description: thin strap-like muscle located in the back of the neck; runs
from neck down to medial border of scapula
o Function: elevates and adducts scapula
o How to remember: Elevators bring things up
- Rhomboids:
o Description: two rectangular muscles lying deep to trapezius and
inferior to levator scapulae
o Function: stabilizes scapula
o How to remember: shaped like a rhombus

Muscles of the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint that move the arm

Phrase: Please Dont Lift Today, Steve. Sleep In The Comfy Bed.
Color = arm flexion, color = arm abduction, color = arm adduction, color = arm
medial rotation, color = arm lateral rotation, color = rotator cuff muscle, color =
flexes and supinates forearm, color = arm extension, PM = prime mover
NOTE: Only biceps brachii works with the forearm for this section.
Petoralis major, coracobrachialis, and biceps brachii are the ones fully in
the anterior compartment of arm. Everything else, except deltoids, are in
the posterior compartment.
- Pectoralis major:
o Description: convergent muscle with insertion tendon at brachial
region
o Function: PM of arm flexion, arm adduction and medial rotation
o How to remember: when it contracts, you can imagine the arm coming
closer to it by medial rotation and adduction; muscles nearby will move
along with it, so arm flexion can occur
- Deltoid:
 o Description: multipennate muscle that makes the roundness of your
shoulders
o Function: PM of arm abduction
o How to remember: Fist fighters dealt with their opponents by
abducting their arms to punch; As Gordon the Bio Sci Peer Tutor puts it,
if you want to abduct a child, you got to abduct your arm to grab the
child.
- Latissimus dorsi:
o Description: inferior to trapezius at lumbar region, also triangular like
trapezius
o Function: PM of arm extension, arm adduction and medial rotation
- Teres major:
o Description: inferior to teres minor and infraspinatus; posterior wall of
axillary
o Function: arm extension, adduction, and medial rotation
o How to remember: its the closest to the latissimus dorsi, so it would
have the same functions
- Subscapularis:
o Description: rotator cuff muscle; on anterior side of scapula (thats the
underside of scapula); insertion is at the front of shoulder joint
o Function: arm medial rotation
o How to remember: tendon is inserted at the front of shoulder joint, so
when visualizing its contraction you can imagine it pulling and rotating
the arm medially
- Supraspinatus:
o Description: rotator cuff muscle; above spine of scapula
o Function: arm abduction
o How to remember: supra = above, spin = spine of scapula its
location kind of helps you know that it abducts arm (also close to
deltoids)
- Infraspinatus:
o Description: rotator cuff muscle, below scapula spine
o Function: arm lateral rotation
o How to remember: its insertion is at an angle of back of shoulder, so
when it contracts pulls and rotates arm laterally
- Teres minor:
o Description: rotator cuff muscle, inferior to infraspinatus muscle, above
teres major
o Function: arm lateral rotation
o How to remember: it does the opposite of teres major
- Coracobrachialis
o Description: small cylindrical muscle located just deep from biceps
brachii; extends from medial side of arm
o Function: arm flexion and adduction
o How to remember: coracoid process is on the anterior side of the
scapula this muscle is on anterior side arm flexion; medial slant of
muscle from anatomical position contraction leads to arm adduction
- Biceps brachii:
 o Description: two-headed fusiform muscle with united bellies
o Function: flexes and supinates forearm
o How to remember: You flex and supinate with your forearm to do a
bicep curl.

Muscles of the elbow joint that move the forearm

Phrase: This Adorable Bright, Blue Bracelet

Color = forearm flexion, color = forearm extension, color = ulna abduction, color =
flexes and supinates forearm
NOTE: Only biceps brachii flexes and supinates forearm for this section
- Triceps brachii:
o Description: 3-headed origin; located on posterior compartment of arm
o Function: arm extensor
o How to remember: does the opposite of biceps brachii
 - Anconeus:
o Description: short triangular muscle on posterior side of arm; distal
from triceps brachii
o Function: synergist for triceps brachii for arm extension, abducts ulna
during forearm pronation
o How to remember: since its distal to triceps brachii, itll act as a
synergist; this muscle has a u in it ulna - anconeus
- Biceps brachii:
o Look above
- Brachialis:
o Description: deep to biceps brachii
o Function: arm flexion
- Brachioradialis:
o Description: superficial muscle of lateral forearm
o Function: synergist in arm flexion
o How to remember: brachialis does flexion, so since brachioradialis has
only the brachio part you can think of it as it does its part as a
synergist to assist the brachialis

Muscles of the knee joint that move the leg

Phrase: Stroll Quietly Please, Richard. Viciously Violent Vampires Have Bloody
Scary Senses.
Color = leg extension, color = leg flexion, color = thigh extension, color = thigh
flexion, color = leg medial rotation, color = thigh lateral rotation, color = thigh
abduction, color = stabilizes knee
- Satorius:
o Description: long, thin, parallel, straplike, superficial muscle running
obliquely (going at an angle towards midline) across anterior surface
from thigh to knee; longest muscle in body and extends from
superior anterior iliac spine and knee joints
o Function: thigh flexion, lateral rotation, and abduction; leg flexion
 o How to remember: oblique angle allows it to laterally rotate and abduct
thigh
- Quadriceps femoris:
o Description: 4-headed muscle that form front and sides of thigh;
insertion at patella; only one to cross hip joint
o Function: leg extension, thigh flexion
- Popliteus:
o Description: thin, triangular muscle at posterior knee that passes
downward and medially to tibial surface
o Function: leg flexion, leg medial rotation
- Rectus femoris:
o See quadriceps femoris
- Vastus lateralis:
o Description: lateral to distal end of rectus femoris/quads
o Function: leg extension and stabilizes knee
o How to remember: When youre on a boat, you look at the distance
and see a vast ocean
- Vastus medialis:
o Description: medial to distal end of rectus femoris/quads
o Function: leg extension
o How to remember: same example for vastus lateralis
- Vastus intermedius:
o Description: deep of rectus femoris/quads
o Function: leg extension
o How to remember: same example as the other vastus muscles
- Hamstrings:
o Description: posterior thigh region, includes biceps femoris,
semitendonous, and semimembranosus
o Function: PM of thigh extension and leg flexion
- Biceps femoris:
o Description: most lateral muscle of the hamstrings; 2-headed origin
o Function: thigh extension, leg flexion
- Semitendinosus:
o Description:
o Function: thigh extension, leg flexion
o How to remember:
- Semimembranosus:
o Description: deep to semitendinous
o Function: thigh extension, leg flexion
o How to remember: has m in membranosus medial membranosus
(credits to Gordon again); semi goes with semi, so right next to
semitendinosus

Muscles of the abdominal wall

Phrase: Everyone In Time Reaches Plumpness (Talk about euphemism)
- External oblique:
o Description: largest and most superficial of the three lateral muscles
(internal oblique and transverse abdominis are the other ones); fibers
run inferiorly and medially (direction of how you put your hands in your
pants pocket)
o Function: flex vertebral column, lateral flexion, trunk rotation,
compress abdominal wall
- Internal oblique:
o Description: fibers run superiorly and medially; muscles fans out that
its inferior fibers run inferior and medially
o Function: same as external oblique
o How to remember: for both external and internal oblique muscles, you
have to use their fiber directions and visualize their contraction to
know their functions
- Transverse abdominis:
o Description: innermost and deepest muscle of abdominal wall; fibers
run horizontally
o Function: compress abdominal contents
 o How to remember: since its the deepest layer, contraction will
compress abdominal organs; its fiber direction also indicates that
function when visualized
- Rectus abdominis:
o Description: medial muscle pair that runs parallel to midline; extend
from pubis to rib cage; ensheathed by aponeuroses of lateral muscles;
segmented by three tendinous intersections
o Function: flex and rotate lumbar region of vertebral column
o How to remember: its in the lumbar area, so that should indicate
function
- Psoas major:
o Description: long fusiform muscle that connect from lumbar vertebra to
femur
o Function: hip and vertebral flexion