Questions and Answers
Which muscle has two heads and flexes the knee?
What is the nerve supply of the Plantaris muscle?
Which muscle is not an ankle flexor?
What is the insertion of the Gastrocnemius muscle?
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Which muscle is not in the superficial group of the posterior compartment of the leg?
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What is the primary action of the popliteus muscle?
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Which nerve supplies the flexor digitorum longus muscle?
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What is the origin of the tibialis posterior muscle?
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What is the deepest muscle between the flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus?
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What is the primary function of the tibialis posterior muscle?
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What is the origin of the Posterior Tibial Artery?
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Which branch of the Posterior Tibial Artery arises inferior to the distal border of the popliteus?
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What is the final destination of the Tibial Nerve after passing through the tarsal tunnel?
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Which nerve originates from the union of the medial sural cutaneous nerve and the sural communicating branch of the common fibular nerve?
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What is the area of skin supplied by the Sural nerve?
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Study Notes
Posterior Compartment of the Leg
- Muscles: ankle flexors (plantar flexors) and invertors
- Blood Vessels: posterior tibial vessels
- Nerves: tibial nerve
Muscles
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Superficial group: three muscles
- Gastrocnemius: superficial large muscle with two heads
- Plantaris: small muscle with long tendon deep to lateral head of gastrocnemius
- Soleus: large flat muscle under the gastrocnemius
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Deep group: four muscles
- Popliteus: smallest and most superior of the deep muscles
- Flexor hallucis longus: inferolaterally
- Flexor digitorum longus: medially
- Tibialis posterior: deepest one between FHL and FDL
Actions of Muscles
- Gastrocnemius: plantar flexes foot and flexes knee
- Plantaris: plantar flexes the foot
- Soleus: plantar flexes the foot
- Popliteus: unlocks knee joint (laterally rotates femur on fixed tibia)
- Flexor hallucis longus: flexes great toe
- Flexor digitorum longus: flexes lateral four toes
- Tibialis posterior: inversion and plantar flexion of foot; support of medial arch of foot during walking
Posterior Tibial Artery
- Larger and more direct terminal branch of the popliteal artery
- Begins at the distal border of the popliteus accompanied by the tibial nerve and veins
- Descends on the superficial surfaces of the tibialis posterior and flexor digitorum longus muscles
- Passes through the tarsal tunnel behind the medial malleolus and into the sole of the foot
- Ends by dividing into medial and lateral plantar arteries
- Branches: muscular, nutrient, circumflex fibular artery, fibular artery, medial and lateral plantar arteries
Fibular Artery
- Largest and most important branch of the tibial artery
- Arises inferior to the distal border of the popliteus
- Branches: muscular, nutrient artery of the fibula, perforating branches, terminal lateral malleolar and calcaneal branches
Tibial Nerve
- Major branch of the sciatic nerve that descends into the posterior compartment from the popliteal fossa
- Leaves the posterior compartment of the leg at the ankle by passing through the tarsal tunnel behind the medial malleolus
- Enters the foot to supply most intrinsic muscles and skin
- Branches: muscular, two cutaneous branches (sural nerve and medial calcaneal nerve)
Sural Nerve
- Originates high in the leg by union of the medial sural cutaneous nerve (from the tibial nerve) and sural communicating branch of the common fibular nerve
- Descends superficial to the gastrocnemius muscle and penetrates into the deep fascia in the middle of the leg
- Supplies skin on the lower posterolateral surface of the leg and the lateral side of the foot and little toe
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Description
This quiz covers the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves in the posterior compartment of the leg, including the superficial and deep groups of muscles and their functions.
