Fibula

Authors
Affiliations

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.S. in Kinesiology

Doctor of Physical Therapy

B.A. in Neuroscience

Deep posterior leg muscles1

Deep posterior leg muscles1

“The long and thin fibula is located lateral and parallel to the tibia (Fig. 14.3). The fibular head can be palpated just lateral to the lateral condyle of the tibia. The slender shaft of the fibula transfers only about 10% of body weight through the leg; most of the weight is transferred through the thicker tibia.”2

Lateral Malleolus

Malleolus comes from root malleus which is latin for “hammer”2. The lateral malleolus acts as a pulley for the tendons of the Fibularis Longus and Fibularis Brevis2.

The medial surface of the lateral malleolus forms the lateral aspect of the mortise that articulates with the talus in the TCJ2.

Fibular styloid process

Biomechanics

The fibula moves in a diagonal direction relative to the tibia.

When moving away from the tibia, the fibula moves laterally and superiorly.

When moving towards the tibia, the fibula moves medially and inferiorly3.

Load

1.
Gray H. Anatomy of the Human Body. 20th ed. (Lewis WH, ed.). Lea & Febiger; 1918. https://www.bartleby.com/107/
2.
Neumann DA, Kelly ER, Kiefer CL, Martens K, Grosz CM. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation. 3rd ed. Elsevier; 2017.
3.
Jones B. B Project Foundations. b Project; 2025.

Citation

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