ANATOMY LIMBS; Lecture 6, 7 and 8 - Hip, buttocks and thigh; Knee, leg, ankle and foot; Review of nerves and vessels of Lower limb Flashcards
By the lower limb twisting during development, what changes?
Permanent pronation at mid thigh level makes terminology and dermatomes confusing
What are the regions of the lower limb?
Gluteal region and free lower limb (thigh, leg and foot)
What are the movements of the free lower limb?
What are the bones of the upper lower limb?
Pelvis (ischium, ileum, pubis), femur
What are the bones of the hip?
What is the femur?
What are the common sites of injury in the femur?
What are the ligaments present in the pelvis?
x
What are the fascia present in the thigh?
Superficial fascia (subcut tissue) and deep fascia (fascia lata)
What are the compartments of the lower limb?
Gluteal, anterior, medial, posterior compartment of thigh
What are the muscles in the gluteal region?
- Gluteal muscles:
- Gluteus maximus
- Gluteus medius
- Gluteus minimus
- (Tensor fasciae latae)
- Short external (lateral) rotators of the hip:
- Piriformis (comes of sacrum)
- Obturator internus
- The gemelli (sup. and inf.)
- Quadratus femoris
Where does gluteus maximus insert?
Inserts into the gluteal tuberosity; majority of fibres enters in the ilio-gluteal tract
How are the gluteal muscles arranged?
NB: piriformis is an important landmark of the region with other muscles described in relation to it
What is the function of the muscles in the diagram (bold)?
Lateral rotators and to stabilise the hip joint
What are the muscles of the anterior compartment of the thigh?
HIP FLEXORS; KNEE EXTENSORS
- Pectineus
- Ilio-psoas (joining of psoas major and iliacus -> major hip flexor)
- (Tensor fasciae latae)
- Sartorius
- Quadriceps femoris ->
- Rectus femoris
- Vastus medialis
- Vastus intermedius
- Vastus lateralis
What is the function and attachments of sartorius?
Off ASIS then extends inferiorly and medially across knee joint and attaches to tibia - helps cross legs
What are the quadriceps?
- Vastus lateralis,
- Vastus medialis,
- Vastus intermedialis
- rectus femoris -> act through patella; extensors of the knee
How do the quads attach to the knee?
What are the muscles in the medial compartment of the thigh?
HIP ADDUCTORS
- Adductor longus
- Adductor brevis
- Adductor magnus
- Gracilis
- Obturator externus
What is the adductor hiatus?
Between the adductor magnus muscle and the femur that allows the passage of the femoral vessels from the anterior thigh to the posterior thigh and then the popliteal fossa. -> termination of adductor canal
What are the muscles of the posterior compartment of the thigh?
KNEE FLEXORS AND HIP EXTENSORS
- Semimembranosus
- Semitendinosus (both attach to tibia but only ST contributes to goose foot with sartorius and gracilis)
- Biceps femoris
What is the femoral triangle?
- Outlined by:
- sup - inguinal ligament,
- med - adductor longus,
- laterally - sartorius;
- contains: femoral NAV (lat to med)
What is the Adductor canal (hunter’s canal/subsartorial canal)?
- Extends along medial aspect of thigh, from apex of the femoral triangle ->
- formed by:
- Vastus medialis (ant),
- adductor longus/magnus (post) and
- sartorius (medially)
- contains Femoral artery, vein and saphenous nerve
What are landmarks of the gluteal region?
Greater/lesser sciatic notch turned into the Greater/lesser sciatic foramen by the sacrotuberous+sacrospinous ligament
What is the function of the greater sciatic foramen?
Structures passing from pelvis to thigh (SCIATIC NERVE)
What is the function of the lesser sciatic foramen?
Structures passing from pelvis to perineum
What is the journey of the sciatic nerve?
- Passes from pelvis to buttock via greater sciatic notch/foramen In the buttock,
- lies in the inferior and medial quadrant ->
- Passes along posterior aspect of the thigh ->
- Divides into the tibial nerve and the common peroneal nerve (inconstant level) ->
- Supplies all the hamstring muscles and all the muscles below the level of the knee
What is the safe area for IM injection?
Superior and lateral quadrant to avoid the sciatic nerve
What is the Trendelenberg test?
Abductors of the thigh prevent tilting of pelvis when limb is raised -> if paralysed then the hip drops on the lifting side
What is the hip joint?
- Synovial ball and socket joint between head of the femur and the acetabulum,
- Acetabular labrum,
- Transverse acetabular ligament (within acetabulum)
- Capsule of hip joint
What is the capsule of the hip joint?
- Extends further anteriorly than posteriorly -> down neck of femur
- Within capsule runs the blood supply of the femur head
- Hip fractures are classified intracapsular and extracapsular (reflect differential blood supply disruption)
What are the ligaments of the hip joint?
- Ilio-femoral,
- pubo-femoral,
- ischio-femoral
- ligament of the head of the femur
Why is winding of the ligaments helpful?
Draws structures together, adding extra structure to the joint
What is the blood supply to the head of the femur?
- Medial and lateral circumflex arteries
- The artery of the head of the femur (more important in children).
- Damaged in intracapsular fractures of the femoral neck = Avascular necrosis of the femoral head
Which muscles move the hip joint (adductors, flexors and extensors)?
Which muscles move the hip joint (Abductors, external/internal rotators)?
What are the arteries in the thigh?
- External iliac artery
- Femoral artery – midinguinal point
- Femoral artery lies between the femoral vein (medial) and the femoral nerve (lateral)
- Profunda femoris artery
- Circumflex vessels
- Femoral artery continues as the superficial femoral artery and subsequently as the popliteal artery
What is the journey of the femoral artery?
- External iliac artery passes from pelvis beneath inguinal ligament (midpoint) and
- proceeds as femoral artery (gives off profunda femoris artery and both arteries give off circumflex arteries supplying hip joint) and
- continues after PFA as the superficial femoral artery.
- Pass from the anterior compartment to the posterior of the knee (the popliteal fossa) through the hiatus of adductor magnus muscle.
- At the knee it becomes the polpiteal artery
What are the veins of the lower limb?
- Superficial veins
- Long saphenous vein
- Joins the femoral artery at the sapheno-femoral junction
- Valve!
- Deep veins
- Popliteal vein
- Femoral vein
- External iliac vein
- Sapheno-femoral junction
- Venae comitantes of the profunda femoris artery
What is the lymphatic drainage of the lower limb?
- Lymph flows with the superficial and deep veins
- Superficial inguinal lymph nodes (runs with short/long saphenous veins, present in groin)
- Deep inguinal lymph nodes
- External iliac lymph nodes
What are the nerves to the lower limb emerging from lumbrosacral plexus?
What are the different nerve supplies of the region?
Motor Segmental Supply Motor Peripheral Supply Sensory Segmental Supply Sensory Peripheral Supply
What are the nerves that supply motor segmental?
Hip Flexors L23 Hip Extensors L45 Knee Extensors L34 Knee Flexors L5S1
What are the nerves that supply motor peripheral?
What are the nerves that supply sensory segmental?
Dermatomal distribution
- Front of the thigh : T12, L123
- Back of the thigh : S123
- Buttock S234
What is the fascia lata?
Extends like stocking under skin -> ilio-tibial tract is a lateral thickened area of it
What is the femoral sheath?
Encloses the femoral artery and vein, with portion of it medially forming the femoral canal
What is the acetabular labrum?
Tissue around rim of the bony acetabulum
What is the journey of the venous drainage of the thigh?
Main is the long saphenous vein which runs from medial border of foot, passing knee on medial aspect, passes up medial aspect of thigh to join deep system at sapheno-femoral junction. LSV pierces fascia of thigh to join the deep system at femoral triangle (valve present to stop blood from passing deep to superficial which can lead to often faulty and incompetent veins); deep veins of thigh flow into popliteal vein at level of knee, running along popliteal and femoral arteries to form femoral vein; passes beneath inguinal ligament to form external iliac vein (receives LSV at sapheno-femoral junction -> also venae comitantes of profunda femoris artery
What supplies the sensory peripheral?
Distributed by system of peripheral nerves derived from lumbro-sacral plexus ->
- Subcostal nerve (T12)
- Ilio-hypogastric (L1),
- ilio-inguinal (L1),
- genitofemoral (L1,2),
- lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh (L2,3),
- sensory branches of femoral nerve (L2,3,4),
- sensory branches of obturator (L2,3,4),
- posterior cutaneous nerve of thigh (S2,3),
- saphenous nerve (terminal branch of femoral nerve L234),
- buttock nerves derived from sacral plexus (L1 to S3)
What are the characteristics of the femur?
Head, neck, 2 trochanters proximally (greater and lesser joined by intertrochanteric line anteriorly, and intertrochanteric crest posteriorly). Linea aspera is a long ridge on the posterior shaft of the femur
What is the torsion angle of the femoral neck?
Angular difference between axis of femoral neck and transcondylar axis of knee -> adults = 12degrees and at birth its around 30-40degrees which reduces by a degree each year until 20+. Intoeing is due to higher anteversion angle
How would you ID the iliac crest, iliac tubercle, femoral head and greater trochanter of femur?
IC: place hands on hips -> top at L4/5. IT: L5 level FH: Midpoint between ASIS and pubic symphysis/site of femoral artery pulsation GTF: Bony prominence on lateral side of upper thigh about 10 cm below iliac crest
Where is the inguinal ligament (surface)?
Between ASIS and pubic tubercle
Where is the femoral pulse felt (femoral nerve/vein)?
Mid inguinal point between ASIS and pubic symphysis. Vein is medial and Nerve is lateral
Where is the gluteal fold?
Inferior border of gluteus maximus, extending thigh at hip joint and feel muscle contracting and producing rounded contour of buttock
Where is the gluteal sulcus?
Visible skin crease separating buttock and thigh which crosses true gluteal fold obliquely
How can you test for gluteus maximus?
Subject lies prone with knee flexed. Ask patient to extend thigh at hip joint whilst applying resistance at distal end of thigh and examiner palpates rounded contour of buttock for muscle contraction
How can you test for gluteus medius and minimus?
Subject lies on side with lower limb fully extended. Ask patient to abduct limb at hip joint whilst applying resistance at distal end of thigh. Examiner palpates contraction of gluteus medius just inferior to iliac crest
How can you test for tensor fascia lata?
Same as gluteus medius but subject is rolled slightly supine and examiners finger tip on TFL musle and the ilio tibial band