What are the hamstrings called?
The back thigh muscles is called the hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus). Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a group of three muscles on the back of the thigh.
What it is
- A group of three muscles on the back of the thigh.
- Bend the knee and extend the hip.
- Their tendons form the cords you can feel behind the knee.
Where it is
- On the back of the thigh, between the buttock and the knee.
- Arise mainly from the ischial tuberosity of the hip bone.
- Insert on the tibia and fibula below the knee.
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Last verified: 2026-07-18
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