AnatomyLower limbKnee and leg

Tibia and fibula: want to learn more about it?

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Tibia and fibula

Learning objectives:

This study unit will help you to:

1. Learn how to locate and differentiate the tibia and fibula.
2. Name the important landmarks of the tibia and fibula.
3. Learn about the joints and neurovascular structures related to these two bones.

Watch videos

The tibia and fibula are the two long bones of the leg, positioned parallel to each other. The tibia is the second largest bone in the body (after the femur), and the primary weight-bearing bone of the leg. It is positioned medial to the fibula, and it is much thicker in appearance. In contrast, the fibula is a slender bone, located lateral to the tibia. These two bones articulate with each other, making the three following joints:

Superior tibiofibular joint – plane synovial joint
Middle tibiofibular joint – attached by the interosseous membrane
Inferior tibiofibular joint – syndesmosis

Additionally, the tibia and fibula articulate with the talus to form the ankle joint, while only the tibia articulates with the femur and participates in the formation of the knee joint.

This video tutorial will provide you with an overview of the tibia and fibula, as well as the structures and the ligaments of the knee joint.

Take a quiz

Now that you have watched the videos about the bones and ligaments of the leg, test your knowledge by taking our quiz.

You now have an opportunity to create your own quiz by choosing your own topics and difficulty levels with our custom quiz:

Browse atlas

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, posterior and medial) 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.

Check out each landmark of the tibia and fibula with our image galleries.

Summary

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, posterior, medial); 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

Well done!

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Continue your learning

Now that you're familiar with the general organization and function of the tibia and fibula continue your learning by reading about the femur and calcaneus.