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