Muscle ID please. iliotib/fascia latae?

#1

Hi all, I’m just getting back into drawing and really starting to study anatomy hard, especially with regard to the upperleg/pelvis area. any help here would be great.

Photo

Ok, I see what I thought was the tensor fascia latae that connects from pelvis to what looks like just in front of the greater trochanter. Then, right in front of it you see this bulge…something I’m not used to seeing. It’s still on the side of the leg and from the shape and various other pictures I’m certain it isnt part of the rectus femoris. So now I’m thinking that, that is the TFS and the shape behind it is the iliotibial band. I have seen somewhere that it varies in thickness. A simple google search shows that the iliotibial band is in that area, though, usually a little farther back more in line with the trochanter.
Picture 2

Now, with the above information, I was certain that the little golfball like bulge was the TFS, but I get confused when I look at anatomy pictures like the one attached above. That picture shows that the iliotibial band does not intersect the TFS, but in the first picture, it clearly appears to do so. From what the illustration is showing, the TFS should sit in front of the the iliotibial band.

So im thinking that the only way to justify the first picture is that the Iliotibial band has some thickness and it is appearing as one with the TFS, but then for some reason there is a crease at the TFS towards the bottom while the iliotibial band continues on down the side of the vastus lateralis.

I’ve spent a couple of weeks now going through pictures and have also noticed that you really don’t see the same thing with the male bodybuilders…All you barely see is the iliotibial band/tensor fasciae latae, whichever that longer band is. I thought that also to be a weird thing since the male bodybuilders tend to trim their bodyfat down lower and yet the area is far more pronounced on female bodybuilders/fitness competitors/models. that little ball can’t be fat…can it?

thanks for taking the time to read this long post!

very confused

#2

Thought i’d take a stab at this one. I’m guessing that it’s the TFL, which might be bundled or have different insetion points on the IT band. The exercises done might define which portion of the muscle gets developed. Saw another image you might want to refer to:
http://www.amg-lite.com/?view=http://www.fbbproject.com/Bonny/Pics/Bonny9007.jpg

It also shows dual definition. Not sure why this is more obvious with women than men, or at least in a quick search I couldn’t find it occuring in men. This though was not apparent in all women either. This is why I’m thinking they’re doing certain exercises to develop different parts of the same muscle.

#3

Both the pic and the diagram are right. In living bodies especially well developed ones the tendon doesn’t present much of a surface protrusion and the muscle does especially at the place it merges with the tendon.
good example is the external obliques joining the abdominal tendinous sheath.

#4

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