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We’ll look at the lower extremity in four sections. In this first section, we’ll look at the hip. After that we’ll look at the knee; then we’ll go down to the ankle, and lastly we’ll look at the foot.

Before we get started, there’s a simple term we need to define: the leg. In everyday speech, “the leg” means everything from the hip downwards. In anatomy, only this part, from the knee to the ankle, is the leg, and this part , from the hip to the knee, is the thigh.

In looking at the hip region, we’ll start with the bones. After that we’ll look at the hip joint and its movements, and then we’ll look at the muscles which produce those movements. Lastly we’ll look at the vessels and nerves. First, let’s see the bones.