Bones of the Lower Limb Anatomy

Bones of the Lower Limb

• The lower limb is composed of: pelvic bones, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, and foot bones
• Pelvic bones consist of: sacrum and right and left hemipelvis
• Each hemipelvis is composed of 3 bones that meet at the acetabulum, which articulates with the femur to form the hip joint

Femur

• The longest bone in the body
• Articulates with the acetabulum to form the hip joint and with the tibia to form the knee joint
• Composed of: head, neck, shaft, trochanters, and condyles

Tibia and Fibula

• Tibia lies medially and fibula lies laterally
• Articulations:
  • Tibia articulates with femur at the knee joint
  • Both tibia and fibula articulate with the tarsal bones (talus) at the ankle joint
  • They articulate with each other

Foot Bones

• Tarsal bones: 7 in total
  • Talus
  • Calcaneum
  • Navicular
  • Cuboid
  • Cuneiform bones (3)
• Metatarsals: 5
• Phalanges: 14
  • Each toe has 3 phalanges, except the big toe which has 2 phalanges

Muscles of the Lower Limb

• Anterior muscles (extensors)
• Posterior muscles (flexors)
• Medial muscles (adductors)
• Anterior muscles (dorsiflexors and extensors of the digits)
• Posterior muscles (plantiflexors and flexors of the foot)
• Lateral muscles (evertors)

Blood Supply

• The thigh is supplied by the femoral artery
• At the back of the knee, it becomes the popliteal artery and divides into:
  • Anterior tibial artery
  • Posterior tibial artery
  • Peroneal artery
• These arteries supply the leg and foot
• The anterior tibial artery becomes the dorsalis pedis artery in the dorsum of the foot
• The posterior tibial artery divides into medial and lateral plantar arteries

Venous Drainage

• Divided into: deep veins and superficial veins
• Deep veins:
  • Dorsum of foot: dorsal venous arch that drains into anterior tibial vein
  • Plantar aspect: medial and lateral plantar veins that drain into posterior tibial vein and fibular vein

Learn about the bones that make up the lower limb, including the pelvic bones, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, and foot bones. Understand how they articulate to form joints.