Psoas Minor

Description

Arising from the lateral surfaces of the T12 and L1 vertebral bodies and the intervening intervertebral disc, the psoas minor appears as a slender fusiform belly that quickly narrows into a long, flat tendon. That tendon descends anterior to the psoas major, staying close to the lumbar spine as it tracks inferiorly toward the pelvic brim. Near the superior pubic ramus it blends with the iliopubic eminence and the iliac fascia, lying medial to the iliacus and deep to the abdominal wall. Variation is the rule. Because the psoas minor is absent bilaterally in a large proportion of adults, clear morphology matters when you want to teach what is “normal” and what is simply an anatomic variant. The distal tendon is a useful landmark along the pelvic brim where the iliac fascia thickens and where clinicians sometimes localize anterior hip or groin pain attributed to psoas complex tendinopathy, although symptoms more often involve the psoas major tendon at the lesser trochanter. For surgical anatomy, its relationship anterior to psoas major helps orient the preperitoneal and retroperitoneal planes during anterior lumbar approaches and pelvic brim exposures. Faculty will find this plate practical for gross anatomy teaching of the posterior abdominal wall, and for embedding in atlas-style pages that contrast psoas minor with psoas major and iliacus in male pelvic and proximal thigh dissections. It also suits orthopedic and sports medicine educational material discussing hip flexor mechanics and the anatomy of the iliopubic eminence. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.