Human leg

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Overview

In common usage, a 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.^[1] The largest bone in the human body, the femur, is in the leg.

Terminology

In human anatomical terms, the leg is the part of the lower limb^[2] that lies between the knee and the ankle.^[3][4] This article generally follows the common usage.

The leg from the knee to the ankle is called the cnemis (nee'mis) or crus^[5]. 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.

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

Long 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 thigh

Anterior compartment of the thigh

• Quadriceps femoris, which is composed of:
  • Vastus lateralis
  • Vastus medialis
  • Vastus intermedius
  • Rectus femoris
• Sartorius
• Tensor fascia lata

Medial compartment of the thigh

• Adductor longus
• Adductor brevis
• Adductor magnus
• Gracilis
• Pectineus

Posterior compartment of the thigh

• Biceps femoris
• Semimembranosus
• Semitendinosus

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

1. ↑ MW Dictionary leg
2. ↑ l_10/12493851 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
3. ↑ leg at eMedicine Dictionary
4. ↑ l_06/12482031 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
5. ↑ c_64/12267973 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

External links

• Human leg fractures

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 · 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 Bones of lower limbs
Femur	head of femur (fovea capitis femoris) · neck of femur · greater trochanter · trochanteric fossa · lesser trochanter · tubercle of the femur · intertrochanteric line · intertrochanteric crest · linea quadrata body (linea aspera, third trochanter, pectineal line, adductor tubercle) lower extremity (lateral condyle, medial condyle, lateral epicondyle, medial epicondyle, patellar surface)
Tibia	upper extremity medial condyle · lateral condyle · intercondyloid eminence · tuberosity of the tibia · posterior intercondyloid fossa · anterior intercondyloid fossa body soleal line lower extremity medial malleolus
Fibula	head of fibula · body of fibula · lateral malleolus
Tarsus	calcaneus (sustentaculum tali, trochlear process) · talus · 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	iliofemoral - pubofemoral - ischiofemoral - head of femur - transverse acetabular
Knee-joint	patellar - popliteal (oblique, arcuate) - collateral (medial/tibial, lateral/fibular) - cruciate (anterior, posterior) - menisci (medial, lateral)
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	deltoid - external lateral of the ankle-joint (anterior talofibular, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular)
Foot - intertarsal	Subtalar/talocalcaneal: anterior talocalcaneal - posterior talocalcaneal - lateral talocalcaneal - medial talocalcaneal - interosseous talocalcaneal Talocalcaneonavicular: dorsal talonavicular Calcaneocuboid: dorsal calcaneocuboid - bifurcated - long plantar - plantar calcaneocuboid Transverse tarsal: plantar calcaneonavicular/spring
Foot - other	Cuneonavicular, Cuboideonavicular, Intercuneiform and cuneocuboid, Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc, Intermetatarsal, Metatarsophalangeal, Interphalangeal Arches of the foot (Longitudinal, Transverse) Plantar cuneonavicular ligaments

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

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)