Lower limb

Lower limb

Back of left lower extremity.
Latin	membrum inferius
Gray's	subject #291 1336

The lower limb is a limb of the body.^[1]

According to Terminologia Anatomica, it includes the pelvic girdle, buttocks, hip, and thigh,^[2] as well as the components distal to the knee.

References

^ "lower limb" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ Committee on Anatomical Termi, Federative. Terminologia Anatomica: International Anatomical Terminology. Thieme Stuttgart. pp. 2. ISBN 3-13-114361-4.

Human regional anatomy (TA A01.1)

Head

Forehead · Ear · Jaw · Face (Cheek, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Chin) · Occiput · Scalp · Temple

Neck

Throat · Adam's apple

Trunk

Chest (Breast) · Abdomen (Navel) · Back · Pelvis (Sex organs)

Limbs

Upper limb	Shoulder · Axilla · Arm Elbow · Forearm Wrist · Hand · Finger (Thumb · Index · Middle · Ring · Little)

Lower limb/ (see also leg)	Hip · Buttocks · Thigh Knee · Calf · Crus Ankle · Heel · Foot · Toe (Hallux · Long • Third • Fourth • Fifth) · Sole

General anatomy: systems and organs, regional anatomy, planes and lines, superficial axial anatomy, superficial anatomy of limbs

Bones of lower limbs (TA A02.5.04–18, GA 2.242–277)

Femur

upper extremity	head (fovea) · neck · greater trochanter (trochanteric fossa) · lesser trochanter · intertrochanteric line · intertrochanteric crest · quadrate tubercle

body	linea aspera · gluteal tuberosity / third trochanter · pectineal line

lower extremity	adductor tubercle · patellar surface · epicondyles (lateral, medial) · condyles (lateral, medial) · intercondylar fossa

Crus

Tibia

upper extremity	Gerdy's tubercle · condyles (lateral, medial) · intercondylar eminence (lateral/medial intercondylar tubercle) · posterior/anterior intercondylar area

body	tuberosity · soleal line

lower extremity	medial malleolus · fibular notch

Fibula

head · body · lateral malleolus

Other

patella (apex of patella)

Foot

Tarsus	calcaneus (sustentaculum tali, trochlear process) · talus (body, neck, head) · navicular · cuboid · cuneiform (medial, intermediate, lateral)

Metatarsus	1st metatarsal · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th

Other	phalanges of the foot

M: BON/CAR

anat(c/f/k/f, u, t/p, l)/phys/devp/cell

noco/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(M5)

Joints and ligaments of lower limbs (TA A03.6, GA 3.333)

Coxal/hip

femoral (iliofemoral, pubofemoral, ischiofemoral) · head of femur · transverse acetabular · acetabular labrum · capsule · zona orbicularis

Knee-joint

Tibiofemoral	Capsule · Anterior meniscofemoral ligament · Posterior meniscofemoral ligament extracapsular: popliteal (oblique, arcuate) · collateral (medial/tibial, fibular/lateral) intracapsular: cruciate (anterior, posterior) · menisci (medial, lateral) · transverse

Patellofemoral	Patellar ligament · Infrapatellar fat pad

Tibiofibular

Superior tibiofibular	anterior of the head of the fibula · posterior of the head of the fibula

Inferior tibiofibular	Anterior tibiofibular · Posterior tibiofibular · Interosseous membrane of leg

Joints of foot

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)

Subtalar/talocalcaneal

anterior/posterior · lateral/medial · interosseous

Transverse tarsal

Talocalcaneonavicular	dorsal talonavicular · plantar calcaneonavicular/spring · bifurcated (calcaneonavicular)

Calcaneocuboid	dorsal calcaneocuboid · long plantar · plantar calcaneocuboid · bifurcated (calcaneocuboid)

Distal intertarsal

Cuneonavicular	plantar · dorsal

Cuboideonavicular	plantar · dorsal

Intercuneiform	plantar · dorsal · interosseous

Other

Tarsometatarsal/Lisfranc	plantar · dorsal

Intermetatarsal/metatarsal	plantar · dorsal · interosseous · superficial transverse · deep transverse

Metatarsophalangeal	plantar · collateral

Interphalangeal	plantar · collateral

Arches

Longitudinal · Transverse

M: JNT

anat(h/c, u, t, l)/phys

noco(arth/defr/back/soft)/cong, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(M01C, M4)

List of muscles of lower limbs (TA A04.7, GA 4.465)

ILIAC Region
/ ILIOPSOAS

psoas major/psoas minor · iliacus

BUTTOCKS

gluteals: (maximus, medius, minimus) · tensor fasciae latae

lateral rotator group: quadratus femoris · inferior gemellus · obturator internus · superior gemellus · piriformis

THIGH /
compartments

Anterior	sartorius · quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis) · articularis genu

Posterior/hamstring	biceps femoris · semitendinosus · semimembranosus

Medial	pectineus · obturator externus · gracilis · adductor (longus, brevis, magnus, minimus)

Fascia	Femoral sheath (Femoral canal) · Femoral ring Adductor canal · Adductor hiatus fascia lata (Iliotibial tract, Lateral intermuscular septum of thigh, Medial intermuscular septum of thigh, Fascia cribrosa/Saphenous opening) · Muscular lacuna

LEG/
Crus/
compartments

Anterior	tibialis anterior · extensor hallucis longus · extensor digitorum longus · fibularis tertius

Posterior	superficial · triceps surae (gastrocnemius, soleus, accessory soleus, Achilles tendon) · plantaris deep · tarsal tunnel (flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior) · popliteus

Lateral	fibularis muscles (longus, brevis)

Fascia	Pes anserinus crural fascia (Anterior crural intermuscular septum, Posterior crural intermuscular septum, Transverse intermuscular septum)

FOOT

Dorsal	extensor hallucis brevis · extensor digitorum 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)

Fascia	Plantar fascia retinacula (Fibular, Inferior extensor, Superior extensor, Flexor)

M: MUS, DF+DRCT

anat (h/n, u, t/d, a/p, l)/phys/devp/hist

noco(m, s, c)/cong(d)/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug (M1A/3)

List of arteries of lower limbs / EIA (TA A12.2.16, GA 6.623)

Inferior epigastric

cremasteric ♂ / round ligament ♀

Deep circumflex iliac

ascending branch of deep circumflex iliac

Femoral
(EIA after IL)

In femoral canal	superficial epigastric · superficial circumflex iliac · superficial external pudendal · deep external pudendal (anterior scrotal ♂)

Descending genicular	saphenous branch · articular branches

Profunda femoris	medial circumflex femoral (ascending, superficial, deep, acetabular) · lateral circumflex femoral (descending, transverse, ascending) · perforating

Popliteal
(FA after AH)

Genicular	superior genicular (medial, lateral) · middle genicular · inferior genicular (medial, lateral)

Sural	no major branches

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

M: VAS

anat(a:h/u/t/a/l,v:h/u/t/a/l)/phys/devp/cell/prot

noco/syva/cong/lyvd/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(C2s+n/3/4/5/7/8/9)

Veins of lower limbs (TA A12.3.11, GA 7.669)

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

M: VAS

anat(a:h/u/t/a/l,v:h/u/t/a/l)/phys/devp/cell/prot

noco/syva/cong/lyvd/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(C2s+n/3/4/5/7/8/9)

Lymphatics of lower limbs (TA A13.3.05, GA 8.701)

Inguinal

Deep inguinal (Cloquet's node) · Superficial inguinal

Other

Popliteal

M: LMO

anat(h, u, t, a, l)/phys/devp

noco/cong/tumr

proc

Nerves of lower limbs and lower torso: the lumbosacral plexus (L1–Co) (TA A14.2.05–07, GA 9.948)

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

M: PNS

anat(h/r/t/c/b/l/s/a)/phys(r)/devp/prot/nttr/nttm/ntrp

noco/auto/cong/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug(N1B)

Lower limb

See also

References