4.4 Bones of the lower limb  (Page 12/73)

The lower limb is divided into three regions. The thigh is the region located between the hip and knee joints. It contains the femur and the patella. The hip joint is formed by the articulation between the acetabulum of the hip bone and the head of the femur. The leg is the region between the knee and ankle joints, and contains the tibia (medially) and the fibula (laterally). The knee joint is formed by the articulations between the medial and lateral condyles of the femur, and the medial and lateral condyles of the tibia. Also associated with the knee is the patella, which articulates with the patellar surface of the distal femur. The foot is found distal to the ankle and contains 26 bones. The ankle joint is formed by the articulations between the talus bone of the foot and the distal end of the tibia, the medial malleolus of the tibia, and the lateral malleolus of the fibula. The posterior foot contains the seven tarsal bones, which are the talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid, and the medial, intermediate, and lateral cuneiform bones. The anterior foot consists of the five metatarsal bones, which are numbered 1–5 starting on the medial side of the foot. The toes contain 14 phalanx bones, with the big toe (toe number 1) having a proximal and a distal phalanx, and the other toes having proximal, middle, and distal phalanges.