Lower Limb Anatomy

Question 1

What are the two superficial veins in the leg?

Answer 1

Great Saphenous

Small Saphenous

Question 2

Which superficial vein empties into the femoral vein?

Answer 2

Great SV

Question 3

Where does the Small SV empty into?

Answer 3

Popliteal vein

Question 4

What is the arrangement of the lymph nodes in the lower limbs?

Answer 4

1. Superficial inguinal.
2. Deep inguinal.
3. Popliteal lymph nodes.

Question 5

Where do the lymphatic vessels accompanying the Great SV end?

Answer 5

Superficial inguinal nodes.

Question 6

Where do the lymphatic vessels accompanying the Small SV enter?

Answer 6

Popliteal lymph nodes.

Question 7

Dermatomes of the lower limb:

L1 - S5?

Answer 7

L1 - groin area
L2 - upper thigh 
L3 - medial knee 
L4 - bit of front and bit of back of calf. 
L5 - Shin and big toe and 2 toes next 
S1 - Little 2 toes and heel.
S2 - Back of leg up to bum.
S3 - Bum Cheek
S4 - Around bum hole
S5 - Smaller around bum hole.

Question 8

What are the 3 main ligaments in the hip joint?

Answer 8

1. Iliofemoral - strongest ligament. Attaches the anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS) to the intertrochanteric crest of the femur.
2. Pubofemoral
3. ischiofemoral

Question 9

What does the iliofemoral ligament do?

Answer 9

Prevents hyperextension of the hip joint.

Question 10

What does the pubofemoral ligament do?

Answer 10

Prevents hyper abduction of the hip joint.

Question 11

What does the ischiofemoral ligament do?

Answer 11

Prevents excess extension.

Question 12

What are the hip flexor muscles?

Answer 12

Iliacus 
Psoas major 
Pectineus
Sartoneus
Adductor longus

Question 13

What are the hip extensor muscles?

Answer 13

Gluteus Maximus - main one. 
Biceps femoris 
Semitendinosus 
Semimembraneous 
Hamstirng 
Post part of Adductor magnus

Question 14

1. What do they adductor muscles do?

2. Name them:

Answer 14

1. Adduct the thigh at the hip joint.
2. Adductor longus
   Adductor brevis
   Adductor Magnus
   Gracilis
   Obturator externus

Question 15

What nerve supplies the adductor compartment?

Answer 15

Generally the obturator nerve - exits the pelvis via obturator canal - passes through the obturator foramen.

Question 16

What is the most superficial and largest muscle of the gluteal region?

Answer 16

Gluteus maximus

Question 17

What are the abductors of the hip joint?

What are they essential for?

Answer 17

Gluteus minimus
Gluteus medius
Gluteus maximus

Essential for a normal walking gait.

Question 18

Which muscles are the medial rotators of the hip joint?

Answer 18

Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus
Tensor fascia latae.

Question 19

1. What is the quadricep femoris?

2. What are the 4 heads of it?

Answer 19

1. Four headed muscle which forms the main bulk of the anterior thigh region.
2. Rectus femoris (stabilises hip)
   Vastus medialis
   Vastus lateralis
   Vastus intermedius (under rectus femoris)

Question 20

Which nerve innervates quadricep femoris muscle?

Answer 20

Femoral (L2,3,4)

Question 21

What is the Sartorius muscle?

What innervates it?

Answer 21

Long ribbon like muscle that is most superficial muscle in ant thigh. Acts on both the hip and knee joints.

Femoral nerve

Question 22

What are the 3 actions of the Sartorius muscle on the hip joint?

Answer 22

Flexion
Laterally rotates the thigh at hip joint.
Abduction
Flexes leg at knee joint.

Question 23

Medial thigh (adductor) muscles, what are they?

Answer 23

Adductor Brevis 
Gracilis muscle 
Obturator externus muscle 
Adductor longus 
Adductor magnus

Question 24

Which nerve innervates the medial thigh? What bony faramen does this nerve enter through?

Answer 24

Obturator nerve

Obturator foramen.

Question 25

What is the femoral artery a continuation of?
When does it change name?
Where does it enter the thigh?

Answer 25

1. External iliac artery.
2. After passing inguinal ligament.
3. Midway between ant. superior iliac spine and symphysis pubis.

Question 26

Which branch of the femoral artery passes post towards hamstring?

Answer 26

Deep artery of thigh.

Question 27

The femoral vein is a continuation of what?

Answer 27

Popliteal vein.

Question 28

The femoral vein passes under inguinal ligament to become?

Answer 28

External iliac vein.

Question 29

Which 2 veins drain into the femoral triangle (triangular depression below inguinal ligament?

Answer 29

Profunda femoris vein,

Great saphenous vein.

Question 30

What muscles are supplied by the femoral nerve?

Answer 30

Psoas major
Pectinueus
Iliacus
Quadratus femoris

Question 31

What are the boundaries of the femoral triangle?

Answer 31

Medial - adductor longus muscle

Laterally - Sartorius muscle

Question 32

What structure forms the base of the Fem triangle?

Answer 32

Inguinal ligament

Question 33

What are the 3 major structures of the femoral triangle?

Answer 33

1. Femoral nerve
2. Femoral Artery
3. Femoral Vein

Question 34

What is the femoral sheath?

Answer 34

Funnel shaped fascial tube surrounding proximal parts of femoral vessels (not nerve).

Question 35

Femoral sheath contents?

Answer 35

Lateral - artery
Intermediate - vein
Medial - femoral canal ( Lymphatic vessels)

Question 36

What are the contents of the adductor canal?

Answer 36

Femoral artery
Femoral vein
Saphenous nerve
Nerve to vactus medialis.

Question 37

What are the 2 major nerves of the lumbar plexus (Psoas major on post wall) ?

Answer 37

Femoral nerve (ant thigh)
Obturator nerve (medial thigh)

Question 38

Lumbar plexus - which nerve roots?

Answer 38

T12-L4

Question 39

What are the root values of the 2 major nerves of lumbar plexus?

Answer 39

L2,3,4

Question 40

What muscle is the chief flexor of the thigh?

Answer 40

Psoas major

Question 41

What are the lateral rotators of the hip?

Answer 41

Gluteus minimus 
Piriformis 
Obturator internus 
Gemelli
Quadratus femoris

Question 42

What is the action of the quadriceps?

Answer 42

Parts are hip flexors but the majority are knee extensors.