Psoas Minor

This section is about the
muscles of the human torso

The psoas minor is a long slender deep muscle that is "often absent"*.

When present, psoas minor muscles are located on each side (right and left) of the body, anterior to (that is, in front of) the corresponding psoas major muscle - which also originates in the lumbar (lower-back) part of the body.

The psoas minor is omitted from many lists and descriptions of muscles of the human body. When mentioned in older textbooks it is sometimes called the 'psoas parvus'.

Origin, Insertion and Actions of the Psoas Minor muscles:

Points of Origin:	Lateral surfaces of the vertebral bodies of T12 (the 12th thoracic vertebra) and L1 (the 1st lumbar vertebra) Intervertebral disc between vertbrae T12 and L1
Point of Insertion:	Lesser trochanter, which is also called the 'small trochanter', towards the top of the femur (thigh) bone.
Action:	Helps to flex (bend) the hip, although makes a smaller contribution to this movement than the larger psoas major muscle. The psoas minor is therefore described as a 'weak trunk flexor'.

* as stated in e.g. Gray's Anatomy.

More about Muscles:

The following are some popular pages in the section about the human muscular system:

The structure of muscle tissue
The structure of muscle cells
Labelled diagrams of the muscles in different parts of the body including anterior muscles, posterior muscles and facial muscles
Types of muscle contractions
Movements at joints

There are also more pages about the words used to describe muscles (terminology), the anatomy and physiology of muscles, muscular disorders and associated topics. See also books about sports medicine.

This may be useful study or revision material for students following courses in human anatomy, sports science, massage, physiotherapy or other subjects that require knowledge of the muscular structures of the human body.

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Psoas Minor

Origin, Insertion and Actions of the Psoas Minor muscles:

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