Posterior compartment of leg
Encyclopedia
The posterior compartment of the leg is supplied by the tibial nerve
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It contains the plantar flexors:
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...
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It contains the plantar flexors:
- deep: popliteusPopliteus muscleThe popliteus muscle in the leg is used to unlock the knee during walking/running by laterally rotating the femur on the tibia during a closed chain movement ....
, flexor hallucis longusFlexor hallucis longus muscleThe Flexor hallucis longus muscle is a muscle of the leg.It is one of the deep muscles of the posterior compartment of the leg. The other deep muscles of the leg are flexor digitorum longus and tibialis posterior. Tibialis posterior is most powerful of these deep muscles.The Flexor hallucis...
, flexor digitorum longusFlexor digitorum longus muscleThe Flexor digitorum longus is situated on the tibial side of the leg. At its origin it is thin and pointed, but it gradually increases in size as it descends...
, tibialis posteriorTibialis posterior muscleThe Tibialis posterior is the most central of all the leg muscles, and is located in the posterior compartment of the leg.It is the key stabilizing muscle of the lower leg....
- superficial/calf: gastrocnemiusGastrocnemius muscleIn humans, the gastrocnemius muscle is a very powerful superficial pennate muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg. It runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel, and is involved in standing, walking, running and jumping. Along with the soleus muscle it forms the calf muscle...
, soleusSoleus muscle- References :* Gray, Henry. Pick, T. Pickering, & Howden, Robert . Gray's Anatomy . New York: Barnes & Noble Books.- External links :...
, plantarisPlantaris musclePlantaris is a vestigial structure and one of the superficial muscles of the posterior crural compartment of the leg.It is innervated by the tibial nerve ....
