Psoas Minor

Origin

The psoas minor muscle arises from the anterolateral aspects of the vertebral bodies of the twelfth thoracic and first lumbar vertebrae, and the intervertebral disc located between them.

Insertion

The fibers of the psoas minor muscle travel anteroinferiorly and insert, via a long tendon, onto the iliopectineal eminence and pecten pubis of the hip bone.

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The psoas minor muscle is found along the posterior abdominal wall. It is a long, thin, fusiform type of skeletal muscle that is absent in some individuals.

It is located:

- anterior to the psoas major muscle;

- posterior to the ureter;

- medial to the kidney;

- lateral to the lumbar vertebrae.

In some individuals, the psoas minor muscle may be absent (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

Actions

The psoas minor muscle assists in flexion of the trunk (Standring, 2016).

List of Clinical Correlates

- Psoas sign

References

Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.

Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.

Actions

The psoas minor muscle assists in flexion of the trunk (Standring, 2016).