Anatomy and Physiology of Tibia and FibulaTIBIA The inner and thicker of the two lower leg bones.

It is the supporting bone of the lower leg andruns parallel to the narrower lower leg bone, thefibula,to which it is attached byligaments.The tibia, or shinbone, articulates with thecondylesof thefemur , or upper leg bone, and the head of the fibula above, and with the talus and the distal end of the fibula below. It has an expandedupper end, a smaller lower end, and a shaft.At the upper end are the lateral and medial condyles (sometimes called medial and lateral tibialplateaus), which articulate with the lateral and medial condyles of the femur, the lateral andmedial semilunar cartilages intervening. Separating the upper articular surfaces of the tibialcondyles are anterior and posterior intercondylar areas; lying between these areas is theintercondylar eminence.The lateral condyle possesses on its lateral aspect a circular articular facet for the head of thefibula. The medial condyle shows a groove on its posterior aspect for the insertion of thesemimembranosus muscle.The shaft of the tibia is triangular in cross section, presenting three borders and three surfaces.Its anterior and medial borders, with the medial surface between them, are subcutaneous. Theanterior border is prominent and forms the shin. At the junction of the anterior body with the upper end of the tibia is the tuberosity, which receives the attachment of the ligamentum patellae. Theanterior border becomes rounded below, where it becomes continuous with the medial malleolus.The lateral and interosseous border gives attachment to the interosseous membrane.The posterior surface of the shaft shows an oblique line, the soleal line. Below the soleal line avertical ridge passes downward, dividing the posterior surface into medial and lateral areas.The lower end of the tibia is slightly expanded and on its inferior aspect show a a saddleshapedarticular surface for the talus. The lower end of the tibia shows a wide, rough depression on itslateral surface for articulation with the fibula The tibia, or shin bone, is the larger, medial, weight-bearing bone of the leg. The tibia articulates at its proximal end with the femur and fibula, and its distal end with the fibula and the talus bone of the ankle. An interosseous bone connects the tibia and fibula.
The fibula is parallel and lateral to the tibia, but it is considerably smaller than the tibia. The proximal end, the head of the fibula, articulates with the inferior surface of the lateral condyle of the tibia below the level of the knee joint to form the proximal tibiofibular joint. The distal end has a projection called the lateral malleolus that articulates with the talus bone of the ankle.