Which muscle is transected during a knee disarticulation?

During a knee disarticulation, the adductor longus is the muscle that is typically transected. This procedure involves a surgical intervention at the knee, where the leg is removed at the knee joint, preserving the femur and upper leg. The adductor longus, which is situated on the medial aspect of the thigh, is positioned close to the knee joint, making it necessary to transect this muscle to facilitate the amputation at that level.

Understanding the anatomy of the knee and surrounding musculature is crucial. The other muscles listed—quadriceps, hamstrings, and sartorius—are also important in knee function and movement, but they are typically not the primary muscles affected by a knee disarticulation. The quadriceps group, for instance, predominantly functions to extend the knee and originates above the joint, while the hamstrings mainly flex the knee and also originate above the knee joint, making them less involved in the direct surgical site of disarticulation. The sartorius, known for its role in hip flexion and knee flexion, runs across the thigh but its involvement in a knee disarticulation procedure is minimal compared to that of the adductor longus.

Thus, recognizing the relationship between the