Anatomy subcategory
Lower Limb
Mnemonics for hip, thigh, leg, ankle and foot anatomy.
Entries in Lower Limb
Femoral artery, femoral vein, saphenous nerve and the nerve to vastus medialis
A memory aid for the contents of the adductor (Hunter's) canal.
Dorsiflexion and plantarflexion at the ankle; inversion and eversion at the subtalar joint
A memory aid for the movements of the ankle and subtalar joints.
Tibialis anterior, Extensor hallucis longus, Extensor digitorum longus and Fibularis tertius, supplied by the deep fibular nerve
A memory aid for the muscles and nerve of the anterior leg.
Quadriceps femoris, sartorius, iliopsoas and pectineus, supplied mainly by the femoral nerve
A memory aid for the muscles and nerve of the anterior thigh.
Medial longitudinal, lateral longitudinal and transverse arches
A memory aid for the three arches of the foot.
7 tarsals, 5 metatarsals and 14 phalanges make 26 bones
A memory aid for the number of bones in the foot.
The medial collateral ligament resists valgus force; the lateral collateral ligament resists varus force
A memory aid for the collateral ligaments and the forces they resist.
Foot drop with loss of dorsiflexion and eversion and sensory loss over the dorsum of the foot
A memory aid for the effects of a common fibular nerve lesion.
Pain out of proportion, Pain on passive stretch, Paraesthesia, Pallor, Pulselessness, Paralysis
A memory aid for the warning signs of acute compartment syndrome.
The ACL stops the tibia sliding forward; the PCL stops the tibia sliding backward
A memory aid for the action of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments.
On the dorsum of the foot, lateral to the extensor hallucis longus tendon
A memory aid for where to feel the dorsalis pedis pulse.
Mainly the medial circumflex femoral artery, with the lateral circumflex femoral and the artery of the ligamentum teres
A memory aid for why an intracapsular hip fracture risks avascular necrosis.
Extends the knee, flexes the hip and supplies sensation to the anteromedial thigh and medial leg
A memory aid for the motor and sensory role of the femoral nerve.
Lateral artery, middle vein and medial femoral canal with lymphatics
A memory aid for the compartments of the femoral sheath.
Sartorius, Adductor Longus and the Inguinal Ligament
A mnemonic for the borders of the femoral triangle.
Abductor hallucis, Flexor digitorum brevis and Abductor digiti minimi
A memory aid for the three muscles in the first layer of the sole.
Four layers from superficial to deep, supplied by the medial and lateral plantar nerves
A memory aid for the four layers of muscles in the sole of the foot.
Extends and laterally rotates the hip, inserting into the iliotibial tract and the gluteal tuberosity
A memory aid for the actions and insertions of gluteus maximus.
Gluteus maximus extends; gluteus medius/minimus abduct and stabilise the pelvis
A simple memory aid for gluteal muscle actions.
Runs in front of the medial malleolus up the medial leg to drain into the femoral vein
A memory aid for the course and landmarks of the great saphenous vein.
Structures above and below piriformis as they leave the pelvis
A memory aid for the structures passing through the greater sciatic foramen.
True hamstrings cross both the hip and knee and are mainly supplied by the tibial division of the sciatic nerve
A memory rule for identifying true hamstring muscles.
Iliofemoral, pubofemoral and ischiofemoral ligaments
A memory aid for the three capsular ligaments of the hip joint.
Flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, medial rotation and lateral rotation
A memory aid for the movements of the hip and their main muscles.
Iliohypogastric, Ilioinguinal, Genitofemoral, Lateral femoral cutaneous, Obturator, Femoral
A mnemonic for the branches of the lumbar plexus.
Tensed by tensor fasciae latae and gluteus maximus, it stabilises the extended knee
A memory aid for the muscles that tense the iliotibial tract and its role.
Supplies gluteus maximus; injury causes difficulty rising, climbing and standing from sitting
A memory aid for the inferior gluteal nerve and its function.
Prepatellar bursitis is housemaid's knee; infrapatellar bursitis is clergyman's knee
A memory aid for the named bursae around the knee.
Flexion and extension, with rotation possible only when the knee is flexed
A memory aid for the movements of the knee and how it locks.
The medial meniscus is C-shaped and fixed; the lateral is more circular and mobile
A memory aid for the difference between the medial and lateral menisci.
Anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and medial meniscus
A memory aid for the three structures torn in the unhappy triad of the knee.
Fibularis longus and fibularis brevis, supplied by the superficial fibular nerve
A memory aid for the muscles and nerve of the lateral leg.
Pudendal nerve, internal pudendal vessels, nerve to obturator internus and the tendon of obturator internus
A memory aid for the structures passing through the lesser sciatic foramen.
L4 medial leg, L5 dorsum of the foot and big toe, S1 lateral foot and little toe
A memory aid for the key sensory landmarks of the lower limb dermatomes.
Femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis pulses
A memory aid for the four palpable pulses of the lower limb.
Knee jerk L3 to L4, ankle jerk S1 to S2
A mnemonic for the nerve roots of the lower limb reflexes.
The medial plantar nerve behaves like the median nerve and the lateral plantar nerve like the ulnar nerve
A memory aid for the plantar nerves as the median and ulnar of the foot.
Adductor longus, brevis and magnus, gracilis, pectineus and obturator externus, supplied by the obturator nerve
A memory aid for the adductor muscles of the medial thigh.
Nerve, Artery, Vein, Empty space, Lymphatics
A mnemonic for femoral triangle contents from lateral to medial.
Adducts the thigh and supplies sensation to the medial thigh
A memory aid for the motor and sensory role of the obturator nerve.
Piriformis, Gemellus superior, Obturator internus, Gemellus inferior, Obturator externus, Quadratus femoris
A mnemonic for the deep lateral rotators of the hip.
Divides into the anterior tibial artery and the tibioperoneal trunk
A memory aid for the terminal branches of the popliteal artery.
From superficial to deep, tibial nerve, popliteal vein, popliteal artery
A memory aid for the contents and borders of the popliteal fossa.
Popliteus, Flexor hallucis longus, Flexor digitorum longus and Tibialis posterior, supplied by the tibial nerve
A memory aid for the deep muscles of the posterior leg.
Gastrocnemius, soleus and plantaris, the triceps surae, supplied by the tibial nerve
A memory aid for the superficial muscles of the posterior leg.
Biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, supplied by the sciatic nerve
A memory aid for the three hamstring muscles and their nerve.
Just behind and below the medial malleolus
A memory aid for where to feel the posterior tibial pulse.
Medial and lateral circumflex femoral arteries and the perforating arteries
A memory aid for the branches of the deep artery of the thigh.
The angle between the pull of the quadriceps and the patellar tendon, normally about 13 to 18 degrees
A memory aid for the quadriceps angle and its clinical importance.
Rectus femoris and the vastus lateralis, medialis and intermedius
A memory aid for the four parts of the quadriceps femoris.
The largest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve, supplying the medial leg and foot
A memory aid for the saphenous nerve as the femoral nerve's leg branch.
Sartorius, Gracilis and semiTendinosus
A mnemonic for the three muscles forming the pes anserinus.
The sciatic nerve splits into the tibial nerve and the common fibular (peroneal) nerve
A memory aid for the two divisions of the sciatic nerve.
Runs behind the lateral malleolus up the back of the calf to the popliteal vein
A memory aid for the course of the small saphenous vein.
Superior gluteal, Inferior gluteal, Sciatic, Posterior femoral cutaneous, Pudendal
A mnemonic for the main branches of the sacral plexus.
Supplies the hip abductors; injury causes the pelvis to drop on the opposite side
A memory aid for the superior gluteal nerve and the Trendelenburg sign.
Formed by branches of the tibial and common fibular nerves, supplying the posterolateral leg and lateral foot
A memory aid for the formation and use of the sural nerve.
Talus, Calcaneus, Navicular, Cuboid and the medial, intermediate and lateral Cuneiforms
A memory aid for the seven tarsal bones of the foot.
Plantarflexes and inverts the foot and supplies sensation to the sole
A memory aid for the motor and sensory role of the tibial nerve.
Tibialis posterior, flexor Digitorum longus, posterior tibial Artery and Veins, tibial Nerve, flexor Hallucis longus
A mnemonic for tarsal tunnel contents from anterior to posterior.