The fascial compartments of the leg are the four
fascial compartment
A fascial compartment is a section within the body that contains muscles and nerves and is surrounded by deep fascia. In the human body, the limbs can each be divided into two segments – the upper limb can be divided into the arm and the forea ...
s that separate and contain the
muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
s of the lower leg (from the knee to the ankle). The compartments are divided by
septa
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
formed from the
fascia
A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. ...
. The compartments usually have nerve and
blood supplies separate from their neighbours. All of the muscles within a compartment will generally be supplied by the same
nerve
A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system.
A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...
.
Intermuscular septa
The lower
leg
A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ca ...
is divided into four compartments by the
interosseous membrane of the leg
The interosseous membrane of the leg (middle tibiofibular ligament) extends between the interosseous crests of the tibia and fibula, helps stabilize the Tib-Fib relationship and separates the muscles on the front from those on the back of the le ...
, the
anterior intermuscular septum, the
transverse intermuscular septum
The deep transverse fascia or transverse intermuscular septum of leg is a transversely placed, intermuscular septum, from the deep fascia, between the superficial and deep muscles of the back of the leg.
At the sides it is connected to the margi ...
and the
posterior intermuscular septum.
Each compartment contains connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels. The septa are formed from the fascia which is made up of a strong type of connective tissue. The fascia also separates the skeletal muscles from the subcutaneous tissue. Due to the great pressure placed on the leg, from the column of blood from the heart to the feet, the fascia is very thick in order to support the leg muscles. The thickness of the fascia can give problems when any inflammation present in the leg has little room to expand into. Blood vessels and nerves can also be affected by the pressure caused by any swelling in the leg. If the pressure becomes great enough,
blood flow
Hemodynamics or haemodynamics are the dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydraulic circuits are controlled by control systems. The hemodynamic response continuously m ...
to the muscle can be blocked, leading to a condition known as
compartment syndrome
Compartment syndrome is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body's anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space. There are two main types: acute and chronic. Compartments of the ...
. Severe damage to the nerve and blood vessels around a muscle can cause the muscle to die and amputation might be necessary.
Compartments
Additional images
File:Fascial compartments of leg - animation.gif, Animation
File:Braus 1921 293.png, Cross-section of the right leg.
See also
*
Fascial compartments of thigh
The fascial compartments of thigh are the three fascial compartments that divide and contain the thigh muscles. The fascia lata is the strong and deep fascia of the thigh that surrounds the thigh muscles and forms the outer limits of the compart ...
*
Fascial compartments of arm
The fascial compartments of arm refers to the specific anatomical term of the compartments within the upper segment of the upper limb (the arm) of the body. The upper limb is divided into two segments, the arm and the forearm. Each of these s ...
*
Fascial compartments of forearm
The fascial compartments of the forearm are the posterior compartment of the forearm and the anterior compartment of the forearm
The anterior compartment of the forearm (or flexor compartment) contains the following muscles:
The muscles are lar ...
References
External links
Diagram at patientcareonline.com
{{Lower limb general
Muscles of the lower limb