Usually, the large joints of the lower limb are aligned in a straight line, which represents the mechanical longitudinal axis of the leg, the Mikulicz line. Notable exceptions to palpation are the hip joint, and the neck and body, or shaft of the femur. These landmarks are the anterior superior iliac spine, the greater trochanter, the superior margin of the medial condyle of tibia, and the medial malleolus. Most of the leg skeleton has bony prominences and margins that can be palpated and some serve as anatomical landmarks that define the extent of the leg.

The patella (kneecap) is the sesamoid bone in front of the knee. The major bones of the leg are the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), and adjacent fibula, and these are all long bones. Many of the leg's muscles are also adapted to bipedalism, most substantially the gluteal muscles, the extensors of the knee joint, and the calf muscles. The human legs are exceptionally long and powerful as a result of their exclusive specialization for support and locomotion-in orangutans the leg length is 111% of the trunk in chimpanzees 128%, and in humans 171%. In humans, the double S-shaped vertebral column acts as a great shock-absorber which shifts the weight from the trunk over the load-bearing surface of the feet. The human adaption to bipedalism is not limited to the leg, however, but has also affected the location of the body's center of gravity, the reorganization of internal organs, and the form and biomechanism of the trunk. While the capacity to walk upright is not unique to humans, other primates can only achieve this for short periods and at a great expenditure of energy. (Gorilla in non-natural stretched posture.)Д®volution has provided the human body with two distinct features: the specialization of the upper limb for visually guided manipulation and the lower limb's development into a mechanism specifically adapted for efficient bipedal gait. The calf is the back portion, and the tibia or shinbone together with the smaller fibula make up the front of the lower leg.Д¬omparison between human and gorilla skeletons. The leg from the knee to the ankle is called the crus or cnemis / Л€ n iЛђ m ЙЄ s/. This article generally follows the common usage. The term lower limb or 'lower extremity' is commonly used to describe all of the leg.

The thigh is between the hip and knee and makes up the rest of the lower limb. In human anatomy, the lower leg is the part of the lower limb that lies between the knee and the ankle. 4.2 Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splint).

Extrinsic foot muscles