Tibia and fibula – Anatomy Atlas

Table of Contents

Overview

Overview of the tibia and fibula Like other long bones, the tibia and fibula have three parts: a proximal end, body/shaft, and distal end. The proximal part of the tibia participates in the formation of the knee joint (via the medial and lateral condyles), whereas the distal part contributes to the formation of the ankle joint (via medial malleolus). The tibial shaft has three borders (anterior, medial and interosseous) and three surfaces (posterior, medial and lateral). Similar to the tibia, the fibular shaft also has three borders (anterior, interosseous, posterior) and three surfaces (medial, lateral, posterior). On its proximal aspect we can see the head, neck and styloid process of the fibula; at the distal end, the most prominent feature is the lateral malleolus.

Keypoints

Key points about the tibia
Proximal landmarks	Lateral condyle, medial condyle, tibial plateau, anterior and posterior intercondylar areas, tubercle of iliotibial tract, tibial tuberosity
Shaft landmarks	Three borders (anterior, medial, interosseous); three surfaces (posterior, medial, lateral), soleal line (posterior surface)
Distal landmarks	Medial malleolus, fibular notch
Joints	Knee joint, ankle joint, superior/proximal tibiofibular joint, middle tibiofibular joint, inferior/distal tibiofibular joint

Key points about the fibula
Proximal landmarks	Apex (styloid process), head of the fibula, (with facet to articulate with the lateral tibial condyle), neck
Shaft landmarks	Three borders (anterior, interosseous, posterior); three surfaces (medial, lateral, posterior)
Distal landmarks	Lateral malleolus
Joints	Ankle joint, superior/proximal tibiofibular joint, middle tibiofibular joint, inferior/distal tibiofibular joint