Posterior Leg – Overview of Arterial Supply to Lower Limb

00:01 blood supply if the popliteal artery was to become compromised in some way. Now let’s move on to the posterior leg supplied by these tibial arteries; the popliteal artery bifurcating into anterior and posterior tibial arteries. We can see our most superficial dissection here where we see the popliteal artery is really continuing as the posterior tibial artery, running alongside the tibial nerve, which we can see here, and it’s running deep to soleus. So, reflecting soleus reveals this neurovascular bundle. Passing anteriorly, we see the anterior tibial artery would pass through the superior interosseous aperture of the interosseous membrane, the superior aperture of the interosseous membrane.

00:49 But here, we can also see the posterior tibial artery is giving rise to the fibular artery, and that goes to supply the fibular muscles within the lateral compartment. So the posterior tibial artery formed at the inferior border of popliteus at the bifurcation of the popliteal artery. It passes deep to the tendinous arch of soleus and provides arterial blood to the posterior compartment of the leg and sole. We can see it running down here, giving rise to numerous muscular branches that will supply the posterior compartment. Deep to soleus, it gives rise to the fibular artery. We can see the fibular artery here. And this runs distally towards the fibular, the lateral compartment. So we can see this is then progressing laterally over and supplying the lateral compartment, supplying fibularis longus and fibularis brevis.

01:48 The posterior tibial artery then runs distally and it runs posterior to tibialis posterior towards the medial malleolus. So here we can see it running towards the medial malleolus.

02:02 It enters the sole of the foot by passing posterior to the medial malleolus deep to the flexor retinaculum alongside the tibial nerve. And here, it will then divide into lateral and medial plantar arteries. If we look at the fibular artery now, it comes from the posterior tibial artery and it passes laterally, as I was saying, to the fibula.

02:26 It supplies both the lateral and it also gives them branches to the posterior compartment.

02:32 It gives off perforating branch. It gives off a perforating branch that penetrates the inferior aperture of the interosseous membrane, and this will then anastomos with the anterior tibial to enter the dorsum of the foot. We can see that here. Now, we look at the anterior leg.