The 'tibia' is the larger of the two
bones in the
leg below the
knee in vertebrates.
In humans
The tibia or 'shin bone', in
human anatomy, is found medial (towards the middle) and anterior (towards the front) to the other such bone, the
fibula. It is the second-longest bone in the human body, the largest being the
femur. The tibia articulates with the
femur and
patella superiorly, the
fibula laterally and with the
ankle inferiorly.
Gender differences
In the male, its direction is vertical, and parallel with the bone of the opposite side, but in the female it has a slightly oblique direction downward and lateralward, to compensate for the greater obliquity of the femur.
Structure
It is prismoid in form, expanded above, where it enters into the knee-joint, contracted in the lower third, and again enlarged but to a lesser extent below.
The tibia is connected to the fibula by an
interosseous membrane, forming a type of joint called a
syndesmoses.
Blood Supply
The tibia derives its arterial blood supply from two sources:
[1]
# the
nutrient artery ''(main source)''
# periosteal vessels derived from the
anterior tibial artery
Additional images
See also
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Articulations between the tibia and fibula
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Bone terminology
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Terms for anatomical location
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Ossification of tibia
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Upper extremity of tibia
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Body of tibia
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Lower extremity of tibia
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Shin Splints
External links
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Tibial fractures
References
1. Blood supply of the human tibia, NELSON G, KELLY P, PETERSON L, JANES J, , , J Bone Joint Surg Am,