On the human body

Human body

The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...

, the limb

Limb (anatomy)

A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....

s can be divided into segments, such as the arm

Arm

In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...

 and the forearm

Forearm

-See also:*Forearm flexors*Forearm muscles...

 of the upper limb

Upper limb

The upper limb or upper extremity is the region in an animal extending from the deltoid region to the hand, including the arm, axilla and shoulder.-Definition:...

, and the thigh

Thigh

In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...

 and the leg

Leg

Łęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...

 of the lower limb

Lower limb

The lower limb is a limb of the body.According to Terminologia Anatomica, it includes the pelvic girdle, buttocks, hip, and thigh, as well as the components distal to the knee.-References:...

. If these segments are cut transversely, it is apparent that they are divided into multiple sections. These are called fascial compartments, and are formed by tough connective tissue septa

Septum

In anatomy, a septum is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones.-In human anatomy:...

. These compartments usually have a separate nerve

Nerve

A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...

 and blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

 supply to their neighbours. The muscles in each compartment will often all be supplied by the same nerve.

Compartments

The (lower) leg

Leg

Łęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...

 is divided into four compartments by the, interosseous membrane of the leg, the transverse intermuscular septum and the posterior intermuscular septum:

Compartment	Muscles	Neurovascular structures
Anterior compartment of leg Anterior compartment of leg -Muscles:The muscles of the compartment are* tibialis anterior* extensor hallucis longus* extensor digitorum longus* fibularis tertius -Nerve supply:...	Tibialis anterior, Extensor hallucis longus, Extensor digitorum longus, Peroneus tertius	Deep peroneal nerve, Anterior tibial vessels Anterior tibial artery The anterior tibial artery of the lower limb carries blood to the anterior compartment of the leg and dorsal surface of the foot, from the popliteal artery.It is accompanied by a deep vein, the anterior tibial vein, along its course....
Lateral compartment of leg Lateral compartment of leg The lateral compartment of the leg is supplied by the superficial fibular nerve.Its proximal and distal arterial supply consists of perforating branches of the anterior tibial artery and fibular artery....	Peroneus longus, Peroneus brevis	Superficial peroneal nerve
Deep posterior compartment of leg Posterior compartment of leg The posterior compartment of the leg is supplied by the tibial nerve.It contains the plantar flexors:* deep: popliteus, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior* superficial/calf: gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris...	Tibialis posterior, Flexor hallucis longus, Flexor digitorum longus, Popliteus	Tibial nerve Tibial nerve The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus.In the popliteal fossa the nerve gives off branches to gastrocnemius, popliteus, soleus and plantaris muscles, an articular branch to the knee joint, and a... , Posterior tibial vessels Posterior tibial artery The posterior tibial artery of the lower limb carries blood to the posterior compartment of the leg and plantar surface of the foot, from the popliteal artery...
Superficial posterior compartment of leg Posterior compartment of leg The posterior compartment of the leg is supplied by the tibial nerve.It contains the plantar flexors:* deep: popliteus, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum longus, tibialis posterior* superficial/calf: gastrocnemius, soleus, plantaris...	Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Plantaris	Medial sural cutaneous nerve Medial sural cutaneous nerve The medial sural cutaneous nerve originates from the tibial nerve of the sciatic, descends between the two heads of the Gastrocnemius, and, about the middle of the back of the leg, pierces the deep fascia, and unites with the anastomotic ramus of the common peroneal to form the sural nerve....

External links

• Diagram at patientcareonline.com