Anatomy (Bones and Muscles) · MU Sofia

29. Junctions of the leg bones. Ankle joint.

Covers the three junctions between the tibia and fibula: the superior tibiofibular joint, with its capsule, possible link to the knee joint cavity, ligaments and nerve and vessel supply, and the inferior tibiofibular syndesmosis with its ligaments. It then describes the interosseous membrane, including its apertures and attachments, before turning to the ankle joint, its three articulations, the lateral and medial collateral ligaments, and the innervation and blood supply.

Inside: 5 sections · 10 labelled pictures · 13 flashcards · 5 min

Topic 29 of 49 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Anatomy (Bones and Muscles) (Medicine, Years 1 and 2). The free AceMed note covers it in 5 sections, about 713 words (5 min of reading), with 13 flashcards.

In this note

  1. JUNCTIONS OF THE LEG BONES.
  2. Interosseous membrane (middle tibiofibular ligament):
  3. ANKLE JOINT
  4. Capsule :
  5. Capsular ligaments

JUNCTIONS OF THE LEG BONES.

The bones of the leg tibia & fibula are connected via 3 junction

The superior (proximal) tibiofibular joint :

Type : plane - synovial joint .

Articular Surfaces :

Formed between specific facets on the proximal ends of the tibia & fibula.

  • The tibial articular facet is located on the lateral tibial condyle and faces posteriorly, inferiorly, and laterally.
  • The oval fibular articular facet is found on the head of the fibula, facing anteriorly, superiorly, and medially.

Capsule :

The fibrous capsule is attached to the margins of the articular surfaces. The internal surface of the capsule is lined by a synovial membrane which is sometimes continuous with that of the knee joint. In this case, the distal prolongation of the knee joint cavity called the the popliteal bursa communicates with the tibiofibular joint through an aperture on the upper part of its capsule.

Ligaments :

  1. 1. The anterior ligament of the fibular head
  2. 2. The posterior ″ ″ ″

Innervation & Blood Supply:

  • The superior tibiofibular joint is innervated by the common fibular nerve and the nerve to popliteus.
  • Its blood supply comes from the anterior and posterior tibial recurrent arteries

The inferior (distal) tibiofibular joints :

Type : Fibrous joint (syndesmosis)

Articular Surfaces :

  • The inferior tibiofibular joint is formed by the rough, convex surface on the medial side of the distal end of the fibula.
  • It articulates with the reciprocally concave fibular notch on the distal end of the tibia.

No Capsule

Ligaments :

  1. 1. Ant. & Post. ligaments of the fibular head.
  2. 2. Interosseous ligament.
  3. 3. Transverse tibiofibular ligament.

Innervation & blood supply :

  • The inferior tibiofibular joint receives innervation from the deep fibular nerve and the sural nerve.
  • Its blood supply comes from the fibular artery and its lateral malleolar branches.

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