Which statement best describes the action of the sartorius muscle?

Which statement best describes the action of the sartorius muscle?

• A. Flexes abducts and laterally rotates thigh at hip
• B. Extends thigh at hip
• C. Adducts thigh
• D. Flexes knee

Answer: (A)

The action being tested focuses on what the sartorius does at the hip joint. Because this muscle runs obliquely across the front of the thigh—from the anterior superior iliac spine to the medial surface of the tibia—it pulls the femur in three directions at the hip: it flexes the thigh, pulls it outward from the midline (abduction), and rotates it laterally. That combination is what you’d expect from a muscle crossing the hip diagonally and acting across the joint in multiple planes. It can also assist knee flexion when the leg is already flexed, which is why the tendon crosses to the medial tibia and the muscle is nicknamed the tailor’s muscle for the cross-legged position. So the statement that best describes the sartorius’ action is that it flexes, abducts, and laterally rotates the thigh at the hip. The other listed ideas describe actions of other muscles (hip extension, thigh adduction) or a different action (knee flexion) that don’t capture the full hip-action profile of the sartorius.

The action being tested focuses on what the sartorius does at the hip joint. Because this muscle runs obliquely across the front of the thigh—from the anterior superior iliac spine to the medial surface of the tibia—it pulls the femur in three directions at the hip: it flexes the thigh, pulls it outward from the midline (abduction), and rotates it laterally. That combination is what you’d expect from a muscle crossing the hip diagonally and acting across the joint in multiple planes. It can also assist knee flexion when the leg is already flexed, which is why the tendon crosses to the medial tibia and the muscle is nicknamed the tailor’s muscle for the cross-legged position.

So the statement that best describes the sartorius’ action is that it flexes, abducts, and laterally rotates the thigh at the hip. The other listed ideas describe actions of other muscles (hip extension, thigh adduction) or a different action (knee flexion) that don’t capture the full hip-action profile of the sartorius.