Human_leg

Human leg
Lateral aspect of right leg
Latin	membrum inferius
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_08/12523391

In common usage, the human leg is the lower limb of the body, extending from the hip to the ankle, and including the thigh, the knee, and the cnemis.MW Dictionary leg The largest bone in the human body, the femur, is in the leg.

In human anatomical terms, the leg is the part of the lower limbl_10/12493851 at Dorland\'s Medical Dictionary that lies between the knee and the ankle,leg at eMedicine Dictionaryl_06/12482031 at Dorland\'s Medical Dictionary and the term "lower limb" is used to describe the colloquial leg. This article generally follows the common usage.

The leg from the knee to the ankle is called the cnemis (nee\'mis) or crusc_64/12267973 at Dorland\'s Medical Dictionary. The calf is the back portion and the shin is the front.

Legs are often used metaphorically in many cultures to indicate either strength or mobility. The supporting columns of an object may be referred to as legs as well, as in chair legs.

Contents 1 Function and cultural aspects 2 Anatomy 2.1 Bones of the lower limb 2.2 Muscles of the human lower limb 2.2.1 Muscles of the cnemis 2.3 Vasculature of the leg 2.3.1 The arteries 2.3.2 The veins 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Function and cultural aspects

Legs are often used for standing, walking, jumping, running, kicking, and similar activities, and are a significant portion of a person\'s mass.

Adolescent and adult females in many Western cultures often remove the hair from their legs. Toned, tanned, shaved legs are sometimes perceived as a sign of youthfulness and are often considered attractive in these cultures.

Anatomy

The muscles of the human lower leg

Bones of the lower limb

• Femur (thigh bone)
• Patella (kneecap)
• Tibia (shin bone)
• Fibula (calf bone)

Muscles of the human lower limb

Muscles of the cnemis

• Popliteus

The anterior compartment

• Tibialis anterior
• Extensor digitorum longus
• Extensor hallicus longus
• Fibularis tertius

The posterior compartment

• Gastrocnemius
• Plantaris
• Soleus

(all these muscles are at the distal end attached to the calcaneus by the Achilles\' tendon)

The deep posterior compartment

• Tibialis posterior
• Flexor digitorum longus
• Flexor hallicus longus

The lateral compartment

• Fibularis longus
• Fibularis brevis

Vasculature of the leg

The arteries

• Femoral artery
• Profunda femoris
• Superficial femoral artery
• Popliteal artery
• Tibial artery
  • Anterior tibial artery
  • Posterior tibial artery
• Fibular artery
• Arcuate artery

The veins

• Greater saphenous vein
• Lesser saphenous vein
• Femoral vein
• Popliteal vein
• Anterior tibial vein
• Posterior tibial vein
• Fibular vein

See also

• Distraction osteogenesis (leg lengthening)

References

External links

• Human leg fractures

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Leg

v • d • e Human anatomical features
Head	Skull · Forehead · Eye · Ear · Nose · Mouth · Tongue · Teeth · Jaw · Face · Cheek · Chin
Neck	Throat · Adam\'s apple
Torso	Shoulders · Spine · Breast (Tail of Spence) · Chest · Ribcage · Abdomen · Navel Sex organs (Clitoris · Vagina · Penis · Scrotum · Testicle) – Hip · Anus · Buttocks
Limbs	Arm · Elbow · Forearm · Wrist · Hand · Finger (Thumb · Index · Middle · Ring · Little) · Leg · Lap · Thigh · Knee · Calf · Heel · Ankle · Foot · Toe (Hallux)
Skin	Hair

v • d • e General anatomy of lower limbs
Buttocks	Gluteal sulcus - Gluteal cleft
Thigh	Fascial compartments of thigh (Anterior, Medial, Posterior) Inguinal ligament • Pectineal ligament • Lacunar ligament • Reflected inguinal ligament • Conjoint tendon • Interfoveolar ligament Obturator membrane/Obturator canal Femoral triangle • Femoral sheath (Femoral canal) • Femoral ring Adductor canal • Adductor hiatus fascia/fascia lata (Iliotibial tract, Lateral intermuscular septum of thigh, Medial intermuscular septum of thigh, Fascia cribrosa/Saphenous opening)
Crus (anatomic leg)	Popliteal fossa • Calf • Shin • Pes anserinus • Interosseous membrane of the leg Fascial compartments of leg (Anterior, Lateral, Posterior) fascia/crural fascia (Anterior crural intermuscular septum, Posterior crural intermuscular septum, Transverse intermuscular septum)
Foot	Heel • Toe (Hallux, Fifth toe) • Sole • Achilles tendon • Tarsal tunnel fascia (Plantar fascia) retinacula (Peroneal, Inferior extensor, Superior extensor, Flexor)

v • d • e Bones of lower limbs
Femur	upper extremity head (fovea) · neck · greater trochanter (trochanteric fossa) · lesser trochanter · intertrochanteric line · intertrochanteric crest body linea aspera · gluteal tuberosity/third trochanter · pectineal line lower extremity adductor tubercle · epicondyles (lateral, medial) · condyles (lateral, medial) · patellar surface · intercondylar fossa
Tibia	upper extremity intercondylar eminence (posterior intercondylar area, anterior intercondylar area, lateral intercondylar tubercle, medial intercondylar tubercle) · condyles (lateral, medial) body tuberosity · soleal line lower extremity medial malleolus · fibular notch
Fibula	head · body · lateral malleolus
Tarsus	calcaneus (sustentaculum tali, trochlear process) · talus (body, neck, head) · navicular · cuboid · cuneiform (medial, intermediate, lateral)
Metatarsus	1st metatarsal · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th
Other	patella · phalanges of the foot

v • d • e Joints and ligaments of lower limbs
Coxal/hip	femoral (iliofemoral, pubofemoral, ischiofemoral) - head of femur - transverse acetabular
Knee-joint	extracapsular: patellar - popliteal (oblique, arcuate) - collateral (medial/tibial, fibular/lateral) intracapsular: cruciate (anterior, posterior) - menisci (medial, lateral) - transverse
Tibiofibular	Superior tibiofibular: anterior of the head of the fibula - posterior of the head of the fibula Inferior tibiofibular: anterior of the lateral malleolus - posterior of the lateral malleolus
Talocrural/ankle	medial: medial of talocrural joint/deltoid (anterior tibiotalar, posterior tibiotalar, tibiocalcaneal, tibionavicular) lateral: lateral collateral of ankle joint (anterior talofibular, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular)
Foot - subtalar/talocalcaneal	anterior/posterior - lateral/medial - interosseous
Foot - transverse tarsal	Talocalcaneonavicular: dorsal talonavicular - plantar calcaneonavicular/spring - bifurcated (calcaneonavicular) Calcaneocuboid: dorsal calcaneocuboid - long plantar - plantar calcaneocuboid - bifurcated (calcaneocuboid)
Foot - distal intertarsal	Cuneonavicular: plantar - dorsal Cuboideonavicular: plantar - dorsal Intercuneiform: plantar - dorsal - interosseous
Foot - other	Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc: plantar - dorsal Intermetatarsal/metatarsal: plantar - dorsal - interosseous - superficial transverse - deep transverse Metatarsophalangeal: plantar - collateral Interphalangeal: plantar - collateral
Arches of the foot	Longitudinal - Transverse

v • d • e List of muscles of lower limbs
ILIAC REGION/ILIOPSOAS	psoas major/psoas minor - iliacus
BUTTOCKS	gluteals: (maximus, medius, minimus) - tensor fasciae latae lateral rotator group: piriformis - inferior gemellus - obturator internus - superior gemellus - quadratus femoris
THIGH	anterior compartment: sartorius - quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis) - articularis genu posterior compartment/hamstring: biceps femoris - semitendinosus - semimembranosus medial compartment: pectineus - obturator externus - gracilis - adductor (longus, brevis, magnus)
LEG	anterior compartment: tibialis anterior - extensor hallucis longus - extensor digitorum longus - peroneus tertius posterior compartment: superficial - calf/triceps surae (gastrocnemius, soleus) - plantaris posterior compartment: deep - tarsal tunnel (flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior) - popliteus lateral compartment: peroneus muscles (longus, brevis)
FOOT	dorsal - extensor hallucis brevis - extensor digitorum brevis plantar - 1st layer (abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor digiti minimi) plantar - 2nd layer (quadratus plantae, lumbrical muscle) plantar - 3rd layer (flexor hallucis brevis, adductor hallucis, flexor digiti minimi brevis) plantar - 4th layer (dorsal interossei, plantar interossei)

v • d • e List of arteries of lower limbs
EI: Femoral	superficial epigastric - superficial iliac circumflex external pudendal: superficial - deep (anterior scrotal) profunda femoris: lateral circumflex femoral (descending, transverse, ascending) - medial circumflex femoral (ascending, superficial, deep, acetabular) - perforating descending genicular (saphenous branch, articular branches)
Popliteal	sural genicular: superior genicular (medial, lateral) - middle genicular - inferior genicular (medial, lateral)
Anterior tibial	tibial recurrent (posterior, anterior) anterior malleolar (medial, lateral) dorsalis pedis: tarsal (medial, lateral)
Posterior tibial	circumflex fibular - fibular medial plantar - lateral plantar
Arches	arcuate: dorsal metatarsal/first dorsal metatarsal - deep plantar - dorsal digital arteries plantar arch: plantar metatarsal - common plantar digital - proper plantar digital

v • d • e Veins of lower limbs
thigh	femoral • profunda femoris • popliteal
deep leg	fibular • anterior tibial • posterior tibial
superficial leg	small saphenous • great saphenous (external pudendal, superficial of penis ♂/clitoris ♀)
foot	dorsal arch • dorsal metatarsal • dorsal digital • plantar arch • plantar metatarsal • common digital • plantar digital

v • d • e Nerves of lower limbs and lower torso: the lumbosacral plexus (L1-Co)
lumbar plexus (L1-L4)	iliohypogastric: lateral cutaneous branch, anterior cutaneous branch ilioinguinal: anterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀ genitofemoral: femoral branch/lumboinguinal - genital branch lateral cutaneous of thigh: patellar obturator: anterior (cutaneous) - posterior - accessory femoral: anterior cutaneous branches - saphenous (infrapatellar, medial crural cutaneous)
sacral plexus (L4-S4)	sciatic common fibular: lateral sural cutaneous (sural communicating branch) - deep fibular (lateral terminal branch, medial terminal branch, dorsal digital) - superficial fibular (medial dorsal cutaneous, intermediate dorsal cutaneous, dorsal digital) tibial: medial sural cutaneous - medial calcaneal - medial plantar (common plantar digital nerves, proper plantar digital) - lateral plantar (deep branch, superficial branch, common plantar digital, proper plantar digital) sural: lateral dorsal cutaneous - lateral calcaneal other muscular: superior gluteal/inferior gluteal - lateral rotator group (to quadratus femoris, to obturator internus, to the piriformis) cutaneous: posterior cutaneous of thigh (inferior cluneal, perineal branches) - perforating cutaneous
coccygeal plexus (S4-Co)	pudendal: inferior anal - perineal (deep, posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀) - dorsal of the penis ♂/clitoris ♀ anococcygeal
cutaneous innervation of the lower limbs

v • d • e Lymphatics of lower limbs
Inguinal	Deep inguinal - Superficial inguinal
Other	Popliteal

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