Nerve median nerve | Antagonist Supinator muscle | |
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Origin humeral head: medial supracondylar ridge of humerus (common flexor tendon)
ulnar head: coronoid process of ulna Insertion Middle of the lateral surface of the body of the radius Artery ulnar artery and radial artery Actions pronation of forearm, flexes elbow | ||
The pronator teres is a muscle of the human body (located mainly in the forearm) that, along with the Pronator quadratus, serves to pronate the forearm (turning it so that the palm faces posteriorly when from the anatomical position).
Contents
Structure
The pronator teres has two heads—humeral and ulnar.
The median nerve enters the forearm between the two heads of the muscle, and is separated from the ulnar artery by the ulnar head.
The muscle passes obliquely across the forearm, and ends in a flat tendon, which is inserted into a rough impression at the middle of the lateral surface of the body of the radius, just distal to the insertion of the supinator.
The lateral border of the muscle forms the medial boundary of the triangular hollow known as the cubital fossa, which is situated anterior to the elbow.
Innervation
The pronator teres is innervated by the median nerve.
To stimulate the pronator teres, a signal begins in the precentral gyrus in the brain and goes down through the internal capsule. It continues down the corticospinal tracts through the capsule, midbrain, and pons where it arrives at the medullar pyramids. Once at the pyramids, the corticospinal tracts decussate and the signal goes down the lateral corticospinal tract until it reaches the ventral horns of C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1. The signal then goes through the ventral rami and down the root ganglion of C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1 (Brachial Plexus). Next, the signal goes down the median nerve branch of the Brachial Plexus and stimulates the Pronator Teres to contract causing the hand to pronate.
Variation
Occasionally, the ulnar head is absent. Also, additional slips from the medial intermuscular septum, from the biceps brachii, and from the brachialis occasionally occur.
Function
Pronator teres pronates the forearm, turning the hand posteriorly. If the elbow is flexed to a right angle, then pronator teres will turn the hand so that the palm faces inferiorly. It is assisted in this action by pronator quadratus.
It also weakly flexes the elbow, or assists in flexion at the elbow when there is strong resistance.
Clinical significance
Pronator teres syndrome is one cause of wrist pain. It is a type of neurogenic pain.
Etymology
The word pronator comes from the Latin pronus, which means “inclined forward or lying face downward”, and has to do with the muscle's action being pronation of the forearm. The Latin term teres, which means "round or cylindrical shaped" or "long and round", refers to the shape of the muscle. The indirect English translation of pronator teres is therefore: cylindrical muscle that turns the forearm (the palm) down.