Posterior compartment of leg Flashcards
What is the journey to forming the artery of the posterior compartment?
Aorta - common iliac - external iliac - femoral - popliteal - posterior tibial
What are the branches that trifurcate off the popliteal artery?
Peroneal artery
anterior tibial artery
posterior tibial artery
Once the post. tibial artery has supplied the posterior leg muscles, where does it go?
descends down leg, travels posterior to the medial malleolus and branches into the medial and lateral plantar arteries to supply the sole of the foot.
What nerve supplies the muscles of the posterior leg compartment?
Tibial nerve
Where & when does the tibial nerve originate?
It is one of the two branches that trifurcate off the sciatic nerve at the popliteal fossa
What happens to the tibial nerve?
It innervated the posterior leg muscles before travelling posterior to the medial malleolus and bifurcating into the medial and lateral plantar nerves in the sole of the foot and the medial calcaneal nerve
What does the sural nerve innervate and how is it formed?
Branches from the common peroneal and tibial nerve. It is a cutaneous nerve (penetrates deep fascia) that innervates the posterior/lateral skin of the inferior leg and heel.
What is the medial malleoulus?
a bony prominences
From Ant to Post, what runs posterior to the medial malleolus?
Tibialis posterior flexor Digitorum longus tibial Artery Tibial Vein Tibial Nerve Flexor Hallicus longus (Tom Dick And a Very Naughty Harry)
What are the superficial posterior compartment muscles?
Gastrocnemius
Soleus
Plantaris
What is the common movement of the superficial posterior muscles, and what is the exception?
They all are strong plantaflexors.
Gastrocnemius also flexes the knee as is originate from the femur
What is the origin of the gastrocnemius?
Medial and lateral condyl of the femur
What is the insertion of gastrocnemius and soleus?
Posterior calcaneus
What is the origin and insertion of Plantaris?
Origin: Femur (superior to lateral gastroc. head)
Insertion blends medially which achilles tendon
what is the origin of soleus?
Tibia and fibula
Although both soleus and gastrocnemius are plantaflexors, when is each more likely to be in use?
Soleus: walking
Gastrocnemius: running and jumping
What are the deep posterior muscles?
Tibialis posterior
Flexor digitorum longus
Flexor hallicus longus
Popliteus
What is the insertion of Tibialis Posterior and what does this mean for its movement?
Insertion: medial cuneiform
This is the same as tibialis anterior, therefore it produces the movement, also inverting the foot.
Origin of tibialis posterior
Posterior tibia, fibula and interosseous membrane
Origin of flexor digitorum longus
Middle tibia
Origin of flexor hallicus longus
Interosseus membrane and inferior 2/3 fibula
origin and insertion of popliteus
Origin: lateral condyl of the femur
insertion: Posterior tibia
What are the three places the achilles tendon can be injured? How would you repair
1) Musculotendinous juction
2) muscle belly tear
These should be treated with REST
3) tendonous rupture
these should be either sutured or immobilized in a cast, in the plantarflex position
If there was a weakness in plantaflexion (inability to push off) what could be the cause?
Muscular cause: muscle/tendons of plantaflex muscles. this would be very painful, a pop could be heard
Nerve cause: Could be due to damage to the tibial, sciatic or even the nerve plexus.
How would you determine what nerve was damaged in plantaflexion weakness
Look at what other nerves (and therefore muscles) have been affected
