Human leg
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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
Muscles of the human lower limb
Muscles of the thigh
Anterior compartment of the thigh
- Quadriceps femoris, which is composed of:
- Sartorius
- Tensor fascia lata
Medial compartment of the thigh
Posterior compartment of the thigh
Muscles of the cnemis
The anterior compartment
The posterior compartment
(all these muscles are at the distal end attached to the calcaneus by the Achilles' tendon)
The deep posterior compartment
The lateral compartment
Vasculature of the leg
The arteries
- Femoral artery
- Profunda femoris
- Superficial femoral artery
- Popliteal artery
- 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
- ↑ MW Dictionary leg
- ↑ l_10/12493851 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- ↑ leg at eMedicine Dictionary
- ↑ l_06/12482031 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- ↑ c_64/12267973 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
External links
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 | |
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 |
| Foot - other | Cuneonavicular, Cuboideonavicular, Intercuneiform and cuneocuboid, Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc, Intermetatarsal, Metatarsophalangeal, Interphalangeal Arches of the foot (Longitudinal, Transverse) Plantar cuneonavicular ligaments |
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 |
| 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) |
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 |
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 |
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) |
| ||||
| coccygeal plexus (S4-Co) | pudendal: inferior anal - perineal (deep, posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀) - dorsal of the penis ♂/clitoris ♀ anococcygeal | ||||
| cutaneous innervation of the lower limbs | |||||
Lymphatics of lower limbs | |
|---|---|
| Inguinal | Deep inguinal - Superficial inguinal |
| Other | Popliteal |
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 retinacula (Peroneal, Inferior extensor, Superior extensor, Flexor) |
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