20th February 2024

Lower limb

The femoral artery is the lower limb’s main artery, which acts as a direct continuation of the external iliac artery as it crosses the inguinal ligament. Several branches arise from the femoral artery, which supplies the femur and muscles around the thigh. It becomes the popliteal artery as it enters the posterior compartment of the leg close to the knee.

The popliteal artery later divides into the anterior tibial and tibioperoneal trunk. The tibioperoneal artery will further divide into the posterior tibial and fibular arteries. The anterior tibial artery continues along the anterior aspect of the leg and becomes the dorsalis pedis artery. The posterior tibial artery enters the foot via the tarsal tunnel and crosses posterior to the medial malleolus. This contributes to the circulation of the foot via the medial and lateral plantar arteries.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (2017). 2130 Lower Limb Arteries Chart, Licensed under a creative commons licence. Available for free at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/2130_Lower_Limb_Arteries_Chart.jpg (Accessed: 9 January 2024).