APPENDICULAR SKELETON

LOWER APPENDAGES

The Appendicular skeleton refers to your

arms and legs. They are called appendicular
(from "append") because they are attached by
girdles, which bridge each with the main body,
as if they had been appended after the main
body was formed. The upper and lower
appendages are structurally similar. One
difference is that the lower appendages are
thicker and stronger to support the incredible
stress put on them when running and jumping.
They are designed mostly for movement.

FEMUR

The thigh bone, extending from the hip to the

knee of four- and two-legged vertebrates including
humans. The femur is the largest and strongest bone
of the human skeleton, must be so because of the
incredible forces placed upon it. The femur is the
lower appendage equivalent of the humerus. Its
rounded, smooth head fits into a socket in the pelvis
called the acetabulum to form the hip joint (an
example of a ball-and-socket joint). The head of the
femur is joined to the bone shaft by a narrow piece of
bone known as the neck of the femur. It articulates
with the hip at the hip joint and the bones of the lower
leg at the knee joint.
TIBIA AND FIBULA

The tibia and fibula are the equivalents of the

ulna and radius. The tibia is the inner and thicker of
the two lower leg bones. It is the supporting bone of
the lower leg and runs parallel to the narrower lower
leg bone, the fibula, to which it is attached by
ligaments. Fibula is the long thin outer bone. It is
slender in structure that help to stabilize the ankle.
The tibia, or shinbone, articulates with the femur, or
upper leg bone, at the knee and extends to the ankle
bone. On the inside of the ankle, the tibia widens and
protrudes to form a large bony prominence called the
medial malleolus.

PATELLA

The patella or kneecap is a thick,

triangular bone which articulates with the femur
and covers and protects the knee joint. The word
patella means "little plate" in Latin and, indeed,
as bones go it is rather small and rather round. It
is the largest sesamoid bone in the human body.
It is attached to the tendon of the quadriceps
femoris muscle, which contracts to
extend/straighten the knee. The primary
functional role of the patella is knee extension.

TARSAL

Tarsals consist of 7 pairs of bones that make up the ankle and adjoining part of the
foot in humans. Tarsals are strong, compact bones arranged so that the foot can be rotated
(to a limited extent) in any direction. The tarsals articulate with the tibia and fibula (lower
leg bones) above and with the metatarsals of the foot.

METATARSAL

Any of the five long bones of the foot (hind feet in quadrupeds), which
collectively make up the metatarsus. They are analogous to the metacarpals of the hand.
They support the sole of the foot and numbers I to V from medial to lateral with the distal
ends forming the ball of the foot.
PHALANGES

These are the bones of the toes. Each

toe has three phalanges (Proximal, Middle,
and Distal), except the Hallux (big toe) which
only has two (Proximal, and Distal).

A. Talus

Also known as the 'ankle-bone', the Talus

articulates with the Tibia (above), Fibula
(side), and Calcaneus (below)

B. Navicular

The Navicular is boat-shaped, and can be

found between the three Cuneiforms and the
Talus.

C. Intermediate Cuneiform

The middle of the three Cuneiform bones, the

Intermediate Cuneiform articulates with the
second Metatarsal and the Navicular.

D. Medial Cuneiform

The Medial Cuneiform is found on the 'big-toe' side of the foot, and articulates with the
first Metatarsal and the Navicular.

E. Distal Phalange

The Distal Phalange is found at the end of each toe.

F. Middle Phalange

The Middle Phalange can be found just below the Distal Phalange. Each toe has one
except the Hallux (big-toe) which only has a distal and proximal.
G. Proximal Phalange

This bone articulates with the Middle Phalange (Distal in the Hallux) and the Metatarsal.
It can be found at the start of our toe.

H. Metatarsal

There are five Metatarsals in each foot, which are collectively known as the Metatarsus.
They are number 1 to 5, starting from the the 'big-toe' side of the foot. It is the head of the
first Metatarsal that forms the 'ball' of the foot.

I. Lateral Cuneiform

The Lateral Cuneiform articulates with the second Metatarsal and the Navicular.

J. Cuboid

The Cuboid articulates with the Calcaneus, the Navicular, and the fourth and fifth
Metatarsals

K. Calcaneus

Also known as Calcaneum or the 'heel-bone', the Calcaneus articulates with the Talus and
Cuboid. It is at the back of the Calcaneus that the Achilles Tendon attaches.

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