Knee, Leg, Ankle, Foot

Question 1

what are the borders of the popliteal fossa?

Answer 1

semimembranosus/semitendinosus- superior medial
biceps femoris- superior lateral
2 heads of the gastroc- inferior

Question 2

what structures are contained in the popliteal fossa?

Answer 2

popliteal artery and vein, tibial nerve, common fibular nerve, lymph nodes

Question 3

what bones are involved in the knee joint?

Answer 3

femur, tibia, patella

not fibula

Question 4

are the collateral ligaments tighter or looser when the knee is extended? what about the cruciate ligaments?

Answer 4

collateral- tighter in extension

cruciate- taught at all times

Question 5

are the cruciate ligaments within the synovial capsule?

Answer 5

no- but they are in the fibrous joint capsule

Question 6

what are menisci made of?

Answer 6

fibrocartilage

Question 7

how do the MCL and LCL differ w/ respect to the menisci?

Answer 7

the MCL is continuous with the medial meniscus, and thus it may be damaged in tandem

the popliteal tendon separates the LCL from the lateral mensicus and thus they are less likely to be damaged together

Question 8

what do the acl and pcl do?

Answer 8

acl- prevents anterior displacement of the tibia

pcl- prevents posterior displacement of the tibia

Question 9

describe the locking mechanism of the knee

Answer 9

when the knee goes into full extension, it slides medially slightly to lock into place

prior to unlocking, the popliteus muscle must contract to unlock by rotating the femur laterally on the tibia

Question 10

describe the 4 compartments of the leg and their innervations

Answer 10

anterior- deep fibular
lateral- superficial fibular
deep posterior- tibial
superficial posterior- tibial

Question 11

what separates the leg compartments from each other

Answer 11

intermuscular septums separate the anterior/lateral, lateral/superficial posterior, and posterior deep/posterior superficial.

the interosseus membrane separates the anterior from the deep posterior

Question 12

describe the muscles of the anterior leg compartment and their actions

Answer 12

1. tibialis anterior
2. extensor digitorum longus
3. extensor hallucis longus

dorsiflexion, ankle inversion, toe extension

Question 13

describe the muscles of the lateral leg compartment and their actions

Answer 13

1. fibularis longus (inserts on the first metatarsal by traveling under arch)
2. fibularis brevis

evert the foot

Question 14

describe the muscles of the superficial posterior compartment and their actions

Answer 14

1. gastroc
2. soleus
3. plantaris
   (
   plantarflex the foot and flex the knee (not the soleus)

Question 15

describe the muscles of the deep posterior compartment and their actions

Answer 15

1. tibialis posterior
2. flexor digitorum longus
3. flexor hallucis longus
4. popliteal (cause lateral femur rotation

plantarflex foot, invert foot, flex toes (except popliteal)

Question 16

describe the branches of the sciatic nerve post popliteal fossa

Answer 16

first branch into tibial and common fibular (lateral)

common fibular will give off lateral cutaneous sural before wrapping around the fibula, where it will split into the deep and superficial fibular nerve.

the tibial nerve stays posterior and deep, but gives off the medial cutaneous sural nerve, which meets with the lateral cutaneous sural nerve to form the sural nerve, which runs down posterior to the lateral malleolus

Question 17

where does the deep fibular nerve have cutaneous innervation?

Answer 17

in between first 2 toes

Question 18

when does the femoral artery change its name?

Answer 18

when it passes through the adductor hiatus

Question 19

describe the branches of the popliteal artery

Answer 19

it first branches into the anterior and posterior tibial arteries. the anterior tibial artery sneaks through the interosseus membrane and runs with the deep fibular nerve. this supplies the anterior compartment (and some lateral)

the posterior tibial artery then gives off a lateral branch called the fibular artery, which supplies the lateral compartment

the posterior tibial artery runs posterior to the medial malleolus

Question 20

saphenous vein

Answer 20

originates from dorsal arch, runs in superficial fascia anterior to medial malleolus, posterior to medial condyle and up anterior thigh through the saphenous hiatus

in the leg, it runs with the saphenous nerve, which is a continuation of the femoral nerve

Question 21

small saphenous vein

Answer 21

runs from lateral dorsal arch, posterior lateral malleolus, ascends with sural nerve, and drains into the popliteal vein

Question 22

tom, dick, and a very nervous harry

Answer 22

these are the 6 things that travel posterior to the medial malleolus

1. tibial nerve
2. posterior tibial artery
3. posterior tibial vein
4. flexor hallucis longus
5. flexor digitorum longus
6. posterior tibialis

Question 23

what bones make up the ankle joint?

Answer 23

tibia, fibula, talus

Question 24

what are the important bones of the foot?

Answer 24

talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid

7 tarsals

Question 25

what ligaments make up the medial and lateral ankle?

Answer 25

medial- deltoid

lateral- anterior talofibular, calcaneofibular, posterior talofibular

Question 26

what ligaments support the longitudinal arch?

Answer 26

plantarcalcaneonavicular (spring)
plantar aponeuroses
plantar ligaments

Question 27

what ligaments support the transverse arch?

Answer 27

the fibularis longus tendon and the anterior tibialis tendon