AnatomyUpper limbElbow and forearm

Anterior compartment of the forearm: want to learn more about it?

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Anterior compartment of the forearm

Learning objectives:

This comprehensive study unit will help you to:

Identify the muscles of the anterior compartment of the forearm and how they are arranged into groups.
Learn the attachments and innervation of these muscles.
Become familiar with the function of each muscle.

Watch video

The forearm is divided into anterior and posterior compartments. The muscles of the anterior compartment, also known as the flexor-pronator muscles, are divided into two groups:

Superficial group: Pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles.
Deep group: Flexor digitorum profundus, flexor pollicis longus and pronator quadratus muscles.

These muscles act on different joints of the upper limb, enabling movements of the forearm, hand and fingers. Most of the anterior muscles are innervated by the branches of the median nerve. The exceptions are the flexor carpi ulnaris, which is supplied by the ulnar nerve, and the flexor digitorum profundus, which is innervated by branches of both the median and the ulnar nerves.

The following video tutorials will help you learn the anatomy of the anterior muscles of the forearm.

Take a quiz

Now that you have watched the video about the anterior muscles of the forearm, test your knowledge by taking our quiz.

Or check out this fully customizable quiz for a broader overview of the elbow and the forearm region:

Browse atlas

The anterior muscles of the forearm are divided into two groups - superficial and deep. The superficial group includes the pronator teres, flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles. Most of these muscles are shown on the left side, except for the flexor carpi ulnaris, which is shown on the right. The deep group of the anterior forearm includes the flexor digitorum profundus, flexor pollicis longus and pronator quadratus muscles, which are seen on the right. Also visible are the bones of the arm, forearm and hand, which provide the attachments for the muscles. Although the brachioradialis muscle is present in this image, it does not belong to the anterior forearm muscles. Functionally it is a flexor of the elbow joint, however, based on its location, it belongs to the superficial group of posterior compartment muscles and is covered in the corresponding study unit.

Review each anterior muscle of the forearm individually by browsing through our atlas gallery:

Summary

Key facts about the anterior compartment muscles of the forearm
Superficial group	Pronator teres muscle Flexor carpi radialis muscle Flexor carpi ulnaris muscle Palmaris longus muscle Flexor digitorum superficialis muscle
Deep group	Flexor digitorum profundus muscle Flexor pollicis longus muscle Pronator quadratus muscle
Innervation	Median nerve (except for flexor carpi ulnaris and the ulnar half of flexor digitorum profundus which are supplied by the ulnar nerve)
Function	Movements (flexion, abduction, adduction, pronation) of the forearm, hand and fingers

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Continue your learning

Now that you are familiar with the anterior muscles of the forearm, you can continue your learning by taking a look at the posterior muscles of the forearm and the neurovasculature of the forearm: