Muscle
Soleus
Deep calf muscle supporting standing and ankle push-off
High-yield
Soleus acts across the ankle without crossing the knee. Its attachment pattern lets it continue producing plantarflexion when the knee is bent and gastrocnemius has shortened.
Overview
Soleus spreads beneath gastrocnemius from the tibia and fibula toward the heel. It steadies the lower leg over the planted foot and contributes to the calf pump that moves venous blood upward.
Reference facts
- Origin
- Posterior fibular head and upper shaft, tibial soleal line and medial border, joined by a tendinous arch
- Insertion
- Posterior heel bone through the calcaneal tendon shared with gastrocnemius
- Action
- Plantarflexes the ankle and helps control the leg over the foot during standing
- Innervation
- Branches of the tibial nerve, commonly S1-S2
- Blood supply
- Posterior tibial, fibular and sural muscular branches
Clinical correlation
The veins within soleus are one possible site of deep vein thrombosis. Their involvement in selected fatal pulmonary embolism studies does not mean that every leg clot starts in this muscle.
Frequently asked questions
What does the soleus do?
The soleus plantarflexes the ankle and helps control the leg over the foot during standing.
What nerve innervates the soleus?
Branches of the tibial nerve, commonly S1-S2.
Where does the soleus attach?
Origin: Posterior fibular head and upper shaft, tibial soleal line and medial border, joined by a tendinous arch. Insertion: Posterior heel bone through the calcaneal tendon shared with gastrocnemius.
What is the blood supply of the soleus?
Posterior tibial, fibular and sural muscular branches.