Fascia lata: Merely a thigh stocking, or a coordinator of complex thigh muscular activity?

摘要

The knee joint and its musculature has been the subject of a great deal of clinical interest [Muller 1983]. Regional anatomical descriptions mostly exclude the fascia lata, or are limited to studies on the attachments of the iliotibial tract and patellar expansions (Muller, 1983). The fascia lata is cursorily described as "a strong, dense, broad layer of fascia forming a strong cylinder around the thigh, investing the muscles like a stocking" (Warwick and Williams, 1973).During routine dissections of the thigh in human cadaver specimens, it was noticed that the fascia lata is a dense sheet of fascia covering some of the muscles, and acting as an epimysial cover to other muscles in the same region. The objective of this paper is to report a previously undescribed arrangement of the fascia lata of the extensor compartment of the thigh.