Lower Limb Muscles

The lower limb is the region of the body specialized for standing, walking, and running. It includes the hips, thigh, lower leg, and foot. These regions together contain powerful and coordinated muscles that flex (bend at a joint), extend, abduct (move away from the body’s midline), adduct (bring towards ), and produce other movements of the lower limb, allowing us to stand upright, walk, run, jump, and maintain balance.

Although the term “leg” is often used in everyday language to refer to the entire lower limb, in anatomical terms, it specifically refers to the region between the knee and the ankle. Throughout this article, the term “lower limb” will be used to describe the entire limb, while the muscles will be discussed according to their location.

List of the Muscles in the Lower Limb

The lower limb is divided into four main regions: the gluteal region, the thigh, the lower leg or leg, and the foot. The muscles within each of these regions are further classified based on their position, whether they lie at the front (anterior), back (posterior), or sides (medial or lateral) of the limb. They may also be grouped based on whether they make up the superficial or deep layer.

This classification helps describe both the muscles’ anatomical locations and their specific functions within the lower limb.

Muscle Name	Location	Primary Actions
Gluteal Muscles (Glutes)	Muscles in the buttocks and outer hip region	–
Superficial		–
Tensor fasciae latae	Positioned on the outer hip and upper thigh	Stabilizes the hip and knee, abducts the thigh
Gluteus maximus	Forms the buttocks at the back of the hip	Extends and laterally rotates the hip
Gluteus medius	Situated on the outer side of the hip	Abducts and medially rotates the thigh
Gluteus minimus	Deep muscle on the outer hip surface	Abducts and medially rotates the thigh
Deep		–
Piriformis	Deep posterior hip	Laterally rotates and abducts the thigh
Obturator externus	Lies deep on the inner side of the hip	Laterally rotates the thigh at the hip
Superior gemellus	Deep muscle near the hip	Laterally rotates and abducts the thigh
Obturator internus	Located deep in the back of the hip	Laterally rotates the extended thigh
Inferior gemellus	Deep layer beneath the obturator internus	Laterally rotates and abducts the thigh
Quadratus femoris	Deep posterior hip	Laterally rotates the thigh
Thigh Muscles	Muscles located between the hip and the knee	–
Anterior Compartment of the Thigh	Anterior thigh region	–
Articularis genus	Anterior thigh, near the knee	Elevates the synovial membrane during knee extension to protect the suprapatellar bursa
Sartorius	Runs obliquely across the anterior thigh	Flexes (bends), abducts, and laterally rotates the thigh
Quadriceps Femoris		–
— Rectus femoris	Middle of the front thigh region	Extends leg and flexes thigh
— Vastus lateralis	Outer front side of the thigh	Extends the leg at the knee
— Vastus intermedius	Deep anterior thigh, beneath the rectus femoris	Extends the leg at the knee
— Vastus medialis	Medial-anterior side of the thigh	Extends the leg and stabilizes the patella
Posterior Compartment of the Thigh	Posterior thigh region	–
Hamstring Muscles		–
— Biceps Femoris	Outer back side of the thigh	Flexes leg, extends thigh
— Semitendinosus	Inner back side of the thigh	Flexes leg and extends thigh
— Semimembranosus	Deep muscle on the inner back thigh	Flexes the leg, extends the thigh, and medially rotates the leg
Medial Compartment of the Thigh	The medial or inner thigh region	–
Gracilis	Innermost part of the thigh	Adducts the thigh, flexes, and medially rotates the leg
Pectineus	Upper inner thigh close to the groin	Adducts and flexes the thigh
Adductor brevis	Deep muscle within the inner thigh	Adducts the thigh and aids flexion
Adductor longus	Surface muscle on the inner thigh	Adducts and flexes the thigh
Adductor magnus	Large muscle on the inner back thigh	Adducts, flexes, and extends the thigh
Lower Leg Muscles	Muscles located between the knee and ankle	–
Anterior Compartment of the Leg	Front of the lower leg	–
Tibialis anterior	Front portion of the shin area	Dorsiflexes and inverts the foot
Extensor hallucis longus	Deep at the front of the leg, reaching the big toe in the foot	Extends the big toe, dorsiflexes the foot
Extensor digitorum longus	Front of the leg, reaching the four lateral toes in the foot	Extends toes, dorsiflexes the foot
Fibularis tertius	Front outer side of the lower leg, near the ankle	Dorsiflexes and everts the foot
Lateral Compartment of the Leg	Outer portion of the lower leg
Fibularis longus	The outer sides of the lower leg	Everts and plantarflexes the foot
Fibularis brevis	Deep muscle on the outer side of the lower leg	Everts and plantarflexes the foot
Posterior Compartment of the Leg	The calf region	–
Superficial		–
Triceps surae	The main muscle group at the back of the calf	–
— Gastrocnemius	A large surface muscle in the back of the calf	Plantarflexes the foot, flexes the knee
— Soleus	Under the gastrocnemius in the calf area	Plantarflexes the foot at the ankle
Plantaris	A small muscle in the upper back of the calf	Assists plantarflexion of the foot and flexion of the knee
Deep		–
Popliteus	Located behind the knee joint	Unlocks and flexes the knee
Muscles of the Tarsal Tunnel		–
— Flexor hallucis longus	From the back of the leg to the big toe in the foot	Flexes the big toe, plantarflexes the foot
— Flexor digitorum longus	From the back of the leg to the lateral toes in the foot	Flexes toes, plantarflexes foot
— Tibialis posterior	Deep leg muscle that supports the arch of the foot	Inverts and plantarflexes the foot
Foot Muscles	Muscles located in the ankle, tarsal, metatarsal, and toe areas	–
Dorsal Compartment of the Foot	Dorsum or the top surface of the foot	–
Extensor digitorum brevis	At the dorsum of the foot, near the four lateral toes	Extends 2nd-4th toes
Extensor hallucis brevis	At the dorsum of the foot, near the big toe	Extends the big toe
Plantar Compartment of the Foot	Sole or the bottom of the foot	–
First Layer		–
Abductor hallucis	Inner side of the sole	Abducts and flexes the big toe
Flexor digitorum brevis	Middle area of the sole	Flexes the 2nd-5th toes
Abductor digiti minimi of the foot	Outer part of the sole	Abducts and flexes the little toe
Second Layer		–
Quadratus plantae	In the central sole area	Assists the flexor digitorum longus in toe flexion
Lumbricals of the foot	In the central sole area	Flexes metatarsophalangeal joints, extends toes
Third Layer		–
Flexor hallucis brevis	Inner sole under the big toe	Flexes the big toe
Adductor hallucis	Middle and outer sole areas	Adducts the big toe
Flexor digiti minimi brevis of the foot	Outer sole below the little toe	Flexes the little toe
Fourth Layer		–
Plantar interossei	Between the metatarsals on the foot sole	Adduct the 2nd-4th toes and flex their proximal phalanges
Dorsal interossei  of the foot	Between the metatarsals on the top of the foot	Adduct the 3rd-5th toes and flex their proximal phalanges

Innervation

The muscles of the lower limb receive innervation from the lumbosacral plexus, formed by the anterior rami of the first lumbar to fourth sacral spinal nerves (L1 to S4). Major branches of this plexus control distinct regions of the limb:

• Femoral nerve: Supplies the anterior thigh muscles responsible for hip flexion and knee extension.
• Obturator nerve: Innervates the medial thigh adductor muscles.
• Superior and inferior gluteal nerves: Supply the gluteal muscles
• Sciatic nerve: The largest nerve in the human body, it descends through the posterior thigh and divides into:
  • Tibial nerve: Supplies the posterior leg and plantar foot muscles.
  • Common fibular nerve: Innervates the anterior and lateral leg, and the dorsum of the foot.

Apart from the muscles, several important fasciae and ligaments provide structure and stability to the lower limb. The fascia lata, along with its thickened lateral portion, the iliotibial tract, supports the thigh and stabilizes the knee. The patellar ligament connects the kneecap to the tibia, assisting in knee extension. The Achilles tendon, the body’s strongest tendon, anchors the calf muscles to the heel bone and enables powerful plantarflexion during walking and running. Finally, the plantar fascia reinforces the arches of the foot and helps absorb shock during movement.