Anatomy help (leg, thigh, etc)

[ViergeEnnuyeuse]

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I'm having difficulty organizing everything regarding the different compartments of the thigh and leg. I also have trouble memorizing the actions of each muscle in those regions and their innervation. Are there any generalizations that can be made and mnemonics for the lower limb? Thanks!!

 

[MastahRiz]

If I remember correctly, isn't everything innervated by compartment also? Same with blood supply...

If you know the compartment, then you basically know the action. I was only able to simplify learning lower limb by staring at netter while I read along.

I had some nmemonics for things like structures passing under the different retinacula, but yeah, as far as innervation and actions, it was just off of seeing the pictures that it really made sense. When you see it one compartment at a time, then it sticks better than when you just see the entire limb.

 

[Sartre79]

Leg is pretty easy. Anterior, Posterior Lateral Compartments for Lower Leg,
Quad, Ham and Crotch on the thigh. Innervation is basically Femoral for Quad, Obturator for crotch, Sciatic for Hamies. Then the lower leg is just branches of the Sciatic.....Common Fibular, Anterior and Posterior Tibialis. Obvioulsy this is just a broad overview and there will be deviations and other nerves and/or branches I missed (ie, saphenous etc.) Best of Luck.

 

[SeventhSon]

i think one thing that helped me a lot was looking at the proximal attachments of all the adductor muscles on the pubic bone carefully.... then remembering that the obturator foramen is facing anteroinferiorly in a standing person, you can kind of see the spatial relations of the muscles to each other in the medial compartment of the thigh.

Just keep chugging through it, I think you'll find this region isn't that bad

 

[popbirch]

three compartments- each has one common action, one innervation, and one exception to the rule

anterior: All extend the knee. all innervated by the femoral nerve
Vastus lateralus
vastus medialus
vastus intermedius
rectus femorus-also flexes the hip
sartorious- flexes the hip and flexes the knee (the exception to the rule)
1/2 pectineus- 1/2 innervated by the obturator nerve

Posterior: all extend the hip, and flex the knee, all innervated by the tibial portion of the sciatic nerve

biceps femoris (short head innervated by the common fibular portion of the sciatic, thats the exception)
semitendonosus
semimembrinosus

Medial: all adduct the hip, all innervated by the obturator nerve
obturator externus
adductor magnus (the hamstring portion is innervated by the tibial portion of the sciatic nerve, this is the exception)
adductor brevis
adductor longus
gracilis
1/2 pectineus

hope that helps

 

[smuwillobrien]

Compartmentalize things and then visual what muscles within this region must do - there are certain things - like one of the adductors being innervated by the sciatic, which represent exceptions - but overall, it is helpful.

 

[popbirch]

so the same holds true for the leg as the thigh, one compartment, one nerve, but no exceptions this time.

posterior: tibial, all of the plantar flex the ankle or the digits in some way.
gastroc
soleus
plantaris
popliteus (flexes the knee)
Tibialis posterior
flexor hallicis longus
flexor digitorum longus

anterior: deep fibular nerve, dorsal flexion the ankle or the digits
tibialis anterior
extensor digitorum longus
extensor digitorum brevis
extensor hallicus longus
" " brevis
fibularis tertius

lateral: superficial fibular nerve, eversion of the ankle
fibularis longus
" brevis

so thats the organization I used to learn the leg stuff,
I hope it helps

 

[shreypete]

is there any effective way to draw cross sections (with the detailed compartments) of the leg, thingh, arm and hand? are there any good books that do this in a detailed manner...and what's the best way to remember the blood and nerve supply...do you learn for the specific regions or do you learn how the whole nerve or artery starts from the beginning to the end? (aka systematic anatomy....not topographical)

 

[MastahRiz]

Snell has some good cross sections, and netter has good compartmental diagrams.

Innervation/blood supply is for the most part specific to each compartment. If you want to get really detailed there are nerve diagrams in the clincal section of some anatomy books (snell again) that shows the nerve from start to finish and lists each muscle that it innervates in order, from the nerve origin to its termination.

Might be some better books out there though.