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.
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
Posterior compartment of the thigh
Muscles of the cnemis
The anterior compartment
- Tibialis anterior
- Extensor digitorum longus
- Extensor hallicus longus
- Fibularis tertius
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
The veins
See also
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
| Bones of lower limbs |
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| 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) |
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| 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 |
|
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| Fibula | head of fibula · body of fibula · lateral malleolus |
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| Tarsus | calcaneus (sustentaculum tali, trochlear process) · talus · navicular · cuboid · cuneiform (medial, intermediate, lateral) |
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| Metatarsus | 1st metatarsal · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th |
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| Other | patella · phalanges of the foot |
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| Joints and ligaments of lower limbs |
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| Coxal/hip | iliofemoral - pubofemoral - ischiofemoral - head of femur - transverse acetabular |
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| Knee-joint | patellar - popliteal (oblique, arcuate) - collateral (medial/tibial, lateral/fibular) - cruciate (anterior, posterior) - menisci (medial, lateral) |
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| 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 |
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| Talocrural/ankle | deltoid - external lateral of the ankle-joint (anterior talofibular, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular) |
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| 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 |
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| Foot - other | Cuneonavicular, Cuboideonavicular, Intercuneiform and cuneocuboid, Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc, Intermetatarsal, Metatarsophalangeal, Interphalangeal
Arches of the foot (Longitudinal, Transverse)
Plantar cuneonavicular ligaments |
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| List of muscles of lower limbs |
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| ILIAC REGION/ILIOPSOAS | psoas major/psoas minor - iliacus |
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| BUTTOCKS | gluteals: (maximus, medius, minimus) - tensor fasciae latae
lateral rotator group: piriformis - obturator externus/obturator internus - inferior gemellus/superior gemellus - quadratus femoris |
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| THIGH | anterior compartment: sartorius - quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis) - articularis genu
posterior compartment/hamstring: biceps femoris - semitendinosus, semimembranosus
medial compartment: gracilis - pectineus - adductor (brevis, longus, magnus) |
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| LEG | anterior compartment: tibialis anterior - extensor hallucis longus - extensor digitorum longus - fibularis tertius
posterior compartment: superficial - calf/triceps surae (gastrocnemius, soleus) - plantaris - deep - popliteus - tarsal tunnel (flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior)
lateral compartment: fibularis muscles (longus, brevis) |
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| FOOT | dorsal - extensor digitorum brevis - extensor hallucis brevis
plantar - 1st layer (abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor digiti minimi) - 2nd layer (quadratus plantae, lumbrical muscle) - 3rd layer (flexor hallucis brevis, adductor hallucis - flexor digiti minimi brevis) - 4th layer (dorsal interossei, plantar interossei) |
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| List of arteries of lower limbs |
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| EI: Femoral | superficial epigastric - superficial iliac circumflex - external pudendal (superficial, deep/anterior scrotal arteries) - profunda femoris (lateral circumflex femoral, medial circumflex femoral, perforating) - descending genicular |
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| Popliteal | anterior tibial - sural
genicular: superior genicular (medial, lateral) - middle genicular - inferior genicular (medial, lateral) |
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| Anterior tibial | dorsalis pedis: tarsal (lateral - medial) - arcuate - dorsal metatarsal/first dorsal metatarsal - deep plantar
tibial recurrent (posterior, anterior)
anterior malleolar (medial, lateral) |
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| Posterior tibial | circumflex fibular - fibular
medial plantar - lateral plantar (plantar arch, plantar metatarsal) |
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| Nerves of lower limbs and lower torso: the lumbosacral plexus |
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| 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) |
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| sacral plexus (L4-S4) | muscular: superior gluteal/inferior gluteal - to quadratus femoris - to obturator internus - to the piriformis
sciatic: tibial (medial sural cutaneous, sural, medial calcaneal, medial plantar, lateral plantar)
sciatic: common fibular (lateral sural cutaneous, deep fibular, superficial fibular, medial dorsal cutaneous, intermediate dorsal cutaneous)
cutaneous: posterior cutaneous of thigh (inferior cluneal, perineal branches) - perforating cutaneous |
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| coccygeal plexus (S4-Co) | pudendal: inferior anal - perineal (deep, posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀) - dorsal of the penis ♂/clitoris ♀
anococcygeal |
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| cutaneous innervation of the lower limbs |
| Lymphatics of lower limbs |
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| Inguinal | Deep inguinal - Superficial inguinal |
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| Other | Popliteal |
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| General anatomy of lower limbs |
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| Buttocks | Gluteal sulcus - Gluteal cleft |
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| Thigh | Fascial compartments of thigh (Anterior, Medial, Posterior)
Inguinal ligament • Pectineal ligament • Lacunar ligament • Reflected inguinal ligament • Conjoint tendon • Interfoveolar ligament
Saphenous opening
Obturator membrane/Obturator canal
Femoral triangle • Femoral sheath (Femoral canal) • Femoral ring
Adductor canal • Adductor hiatus
fascia (Iliotibial tract, Fascia lata, Fascia cribrosa) |
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| Cnemis (anatomic leg) |
Popliteal fossa •
Calf •
Shin •
Pes anserinus •
Fascial compartments of leg (Anterior, Lateral, Posterior)
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| Foot | |
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