With such complex variations it is no wonder that the exact mechanism of human walk is not precisely known.
Some of the muscles important for walking are -
Quadriceps femoris (front thigh) - is a group of four separate muscles. 1. Rectus Femoris (upright of the thigh)- runs from hipbone (ilium) to patella, the kneecap and tibia on contraction it straightens the leg. 2. Vastus Lateralis (large lateral) 3. Vastus Intermedius (large intermediate) 4. Vastus Medialis (large medial) These muscles originate in the ilium, a bone of hip girdle and in the femur. The quadriceps are inserted into the shin bone, tibia and kneecap. All four muscles in this group extends the thigh but only rectus flexes the thigh. Hamstrings These are the muscles at the back of the thigh and are a set of three separate muscles - the Bieps femoris, Semitendinous and Semimembraneous. All these muscles originate beneath the biggest muscle of our body in the buttock, the Gluteus maximus. They are attached to ischium ( bone at the lower end of hip girdle) and tibia, the shin bone.
The hamstrings flex leg and extend thigh.
Calf muscles - Gastocnemius, the bulky muscle on the backside - just below the knee, the tendon of which is known as Achilles Tendon, is attached to the heel. Soleus is the other calf muscle which is not visible easily from outside.
Gluteus maximus (largest of the buttock)- Gluteus medius (middle of the buttock ) and Gluteus minimus (smallest of the buttock) are the bulky hip muscles. Other primates like the gorilla or chimpanzee or other mammals do not have such prominent and bulky glutes as in man.
The primary function of the Gluteus maximus is hip extension (moving the thigh to the rear). The Gluteus medius and Gluteus minimus are responsible for abduction of the thigh i.e they move the thigh to the front away from body. Intrinsic muscles of the foot also help in pushing the great toe against ground and thus help in walking. Take a look at the various muscles mentioned above - • Quadriceps -http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/Quadriceps.h... • Hamstrings - http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/... • Gluteus Maximus -http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/... • Calf muscles -http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/...
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