Anatomy of Lower Leg, Ankle and Foot Flashcards
What are the different compartments of muscles of the lower leg?
- Anterior
- Lateral
- Posterior
What divides the different compartments of muscle?
Intermuscular septum from deep fascia divides the muscle compartment
What are the main nerves of the lower leg?
- Common fibular nerve and branches (superficial and deep fibular nerves)
- Tibial nerve
- Branch of sciatic nerve
- Enters foot and divides into medial and lateral plantar nerves
What does the tibial nerve branch from?
Sciatic nerve
What is the function of the ankle joint?
- Critical in weight bearing and walking
What type of joint is the ankle joint?
Hinge type of synovial joint
What are the articulations of the ankle joint?
- Between distal part of tibia, fibula and upper part of talus
Is the ankle joint more stable in plantar or dorsal flexion?
Dorsal flexion
Describe the structure of the capsule of the ankle
- Capsule is thin in front and behind
- Supported on each side by strong collateral ligaments
- Medial ligament and lateral ligament
The medial ligaments stablise the ankle during what movement?
Eversion
The lateral ligaments stablise the ankle during what movement?
Inversion
Are the medial or lateral ligaments of the ankle more commonly involved in injuries?
Lateral
Anterior compartment of muscles are responsible for what movement?
Dorsiflexion
What is the anterior compartment of muscles composed of?
- Tibialis anterior
- Extensor digitorum longus
- Extensor halluces longus
- Peroneus or fibular tertius
Posterior complartment of muscles is responsible for what?
Plantar flexion
Posterior compartment of muscles is composed of what?
- Superficial
- Gastronemius
- Intermediate
- Soleus
- Assisted by plantaris
- Tibialis posterior
- Deep flexors
- Flexor halluces longus
- Flexor digitorum longus
What are some different pathologies of the ankle?
- Ankle sprains
- Inversion injury
- Pott fracture
- Dislocation of ankle
- Footballer’s ankle
- Repeated strain on the anterior capsule
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Tibial nerve compression
What is footballer’s ankle?
Repeated strain on the anterior capsule
What is tarsal tunnel syndrome?
Tibial nerve compression
What are the 4 different layers of the sole of the foot?
- First layer
- Plantar aponeurosis
- Second layer
- Lateral plantar nerve and artery
- Third layer
- Medial planter nerve and artery
- Fourth layer
- Dorsal interossei
- Plantar interossei
What are the functions of the bones of the foot?
Supports the body in standing and progression, by levering it forwards
Skeleton of the foot is divided into?
- Tarsus
- Metatarsus
- Phalanges
- Big toe only has 2, the rest have 3
At what joints is inversion and eversion carried out?
Carried out at subtalar and transverse tarsal joints
What muscles are inverters?
- Tibialis anterior and posterior
What muscles are everters?
- Fibularis longus and brevis
What are the functions of the arches of the foot?
- Flexible and deform on uneven ground
- Shock absorbers
- Distribute weight over foot
- Acts as springboards during walking, running and jumping
What are the arches of the foot?
- Longitudinal arch
- Medial and lateral parts
- Medial is more important
- Transverse arch
Integrity of the arches of the foot is maintained by?
- Shape of united bones
- Plantar aponeurosis
- Long and short plantar ligaments
- Spring ligament (calcuneonavicular)
- Intrinsic muscles of foot
What are some clinical problems with the arches of the foot?
- Flat feet
- Common in children <3 due to subcutaneous fat
- Also in old people
- Can be acquired due to dysfunction of tibialis posterior
- High arched foot
- Congenital
