Thigh & Leg Anatomy Flashcards
What is the nerve supply to the anterior compartment of the thigh?
From which spinal nerves?
Femoral nerve
L2,3,4
What is the nerve supply to the medial compartment of the thigh?
From which spinal nerves?
Obturator
L2,3,4
What is the nerve supply to the posterior compartment of the thigh?
Sciatic nerve
L4-S3
What muscles are found in the anterior compartment of thigh?
Vastus medius Vastus intermedius Vastus lateralis Rectus femoris Sartorius
What is the function of the muscles in the anterior compartment of the thigh?
Extensors of the knee
*Except sartorius which flexes both knee and hip
What muscles make up the “N” shape on the anterior thigh?
What sections do they divide the thigh muscles into?
Tensor Fascia Latae, Sartorius, Gracilis
Upper part is the inguinal triangle/adductor group
Lower part is the quadriceps muscle group
On what anatomical structure do you measure the knee reflex?
Patellar tendon/ligament
From anterior to posterior, what is the order of the three muscles that insert on the medial proximal part of the tibia, and what is this group called?
Muscles: Sartorius, Gracilis, Semitendinosus
Group: Pes Anserine
What dermatome covers the medial side of the knee?
L3
What dermatome covers the anterior side of the knee?
L4
What dermatome covers the heel?
S1
What dermatome covers the 1st interdigital area in feet?
L5
What are the two main branches of the sciatic nerve?
Tibial nerve & Common fibular nerve
What muscles are found in the femoral/inguinal triangle?
Iliacus
Psoas major
Pectineus
Adductor longus
What is the medial line on the femur where the muscles attach to?
What group of muscles attach here?
Linea aspera
Adductor muscles in medial compartment of thigh (except gracilis which inserts on the tibia)
What muscles are found in the medial compartment of the thigh?
Pectineus Adductor brevis Adductor longus Adductor magnus Gracilis
What muscles insert onto the tibial tuberosity?
What is the function of these muscles
Vastus medialis
Vastus intermedius
Vastus Longus
Rectus femoris
Fxn: knee extension
What are the branches of the sciatic nerve?
Common fibular & tibial nerves
What nerve originates from L2-L3?
Lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh.
What innervates the medial side of the leg and foot?
Great saphenous nerve
What forms the lumbar plexus?
Anterior rami of L1-L4
How/where does the femoral nerve enter the thigh?
Deep to the inguinal ligament
What does the femoral nerve innervate?
- anterior thigh muscles
- skin of anterior and medial thigh
What branches from the femoral nerve?
Saphenous nerve
What innervates all the muscles on the posterior leg?
- What else does this nerve innervate?
Tibial nerve
- innervates muscles on posterior leg and sole of foot
Which muscle is responsible for unlocking the knee?
- what nerve innervates it?
Popliteus muscle
- innervated by tibial nerve
What are the main compartments of the leg?
Anterior, Lateral, and Posterior (deep & superficial)
What muscles are found in the superficial part of the posterior leg?
Gastrocnemius & Soleus (together called “triceps surea”)
What muscles are found in the deep part of the posterior leg?
- Tibialis posterior
- Popliteus
- Flexor hallucis longus
- Flexor digitorum longus
When does the femoral artery become something else?
- what does it become?
Femoral artery becomes the popliteal artery as it passes through the adductor hiatus (in the adductor magnus).
What are the branches of the popliteal artery?
Anterior Tibial Artery and Posterior Tibial Artery (which has the fibular/peroneal artery branching off of it)
What artery branches into the plantar arteries?
Posterior Tibial Artery
What is the superficial vein on the posterior leg?
Small saphenous vein
Where does the great saphenous vein run?
Medial leg and thigh (passes posterior to knee)
What nerve branches from the tibial nerve and joins with a communicating branch from the common fibular nerve?
- what does it innervate?
- from which spinal segments does it arise?
Sural nerve
- innervates posterolateral side of leg and lateral side of foot
- arises from L5-S2
What muscles are found in the lateral leg compartment?
Fibularis (Peroneus) Longus & Fibularis (Peroneus) Brevis
What innervates the lateral compartment of the leg?
Superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve
What muscles are found in the anterior compartment of the leg?
- extensor hallucis longus
- extensor digitorum longus
- fibularis (peroneus) tertius
- tibialis anterior
What is the innervation for the anterior compartment of the leg?
Deep fibular (peroneal) nerve
What does the superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve supply?
Fibularis brevis & longus; skin of dorsum of foot (except for first interdigital cleft)
What is the function of the fibularis tertius?
dorsiflexion & eversion of foot
What is the function of the tibialis anterior?
dorsiflexion & inversion of foot
What is the action of the gluteus medius?
Abduction of hip joint
What is the action of the gluteus maximus?
Extension of hip
What is the action of the iliopsoas?
Flexion
What is the function of the deep peroneal nerve?
Dorsiflexion & Inversion of foot; extension of hallux.
Sensory to 1st web space.
What is the function of the superficial peroneal nerve?
Ankle eversion and sensory to dorsum of foot
What attaches to the ASIS?
Sartorius
What attaches to the AIIS (anterior inferior iliac spine)?
Rectus Femoris
What is the origin of the muscles in the posterior thigh?
Ischial tuberosity (and the short head of the biceps femoris attaches to the shaft of the femur)
What ligament attaches to the medial malleolus?
Deltoid ligament
