The term tensor vastus intermedius was given by Grob et al. in 2016,[1] although the structure had been reported previously.

[1] The muscle lies anterior to the vastus intermedius but deep to the rectus femoris.

The tendinous part of the muscle is closely related to, and sometimes fuses with, the aponeurosis of the vastus intermedius.

Distally, it joins the quadriceps tendon and inserts to the medial aspect of the patella.

[citation needed] Recently, ultrasound studies have provided insight into the muscle architecture of this musculature and its long tendon[4][5] Particularly, these studies have suggested that the tensor of vastus intermedius has a small cross-sectional area compared to other individual quadriceps muscles.