The pelvis is the connection between the rest of the body and the lower extremities. It also provides support for the internal organs. The flaring sides of the pelvis are called the ilium. The two rings shaped portions located inferior to the hip sockets are called ischium. The femur is the bone of the thigh. Its length can be roughly calculated by taking one-fourth of a person’s height. The patella, or kneecap, dose two things: it guards the knee joint against blows, and it improves the leverage of thigh muscles which raise the lower leg. The tibia and fibula form the lower leg. Their joints, tibiofibular joints, do not allow for much movement, unlike the joints of the radius and ulna. Of these two bones, only the tibia bears weight. The fibula serves only as an attachment place for muscles.
The foot is much like
the hand in the way the bones are grouped. The first group of bones, the tarsals, forms
half of the foot. The calcaneus, is the bone that forms the heel of the foot, and the
talus is the connection point of the foot and the tibia and fibula. The rest of the foot,
no including the toes, are metatarsals. The toes, like the fingers, are phalanges. Also
like the fingers, each toe has three phalanges with the exception of the great toe, or the
big toe, which only has two phalanges.
