In addition, the fibularis longus, tibialis anterior, and tibialis posterior muscles, which all insert on the undersurfaces of bones on the medial side of the foot, together act as a stirrup to support the arches of the foot. The fibularis longus supports mainly the lateral and transverse arches.
The fibularis longus is innervated by the superficial fibular nerve.
The fibularis brevis muscle is deep to the fibularis longus muscle in the leg and originates from the lower two-thirds of the lateral surface of the shaft of the fibula (Fig. 6.91).
The tendon of the fibularis brevis passes behind the lateral malleolus with the tendon of the fibularis longus muscle and then curves forward across the lateral surface of the calcaneus to attach to a tubercle on the lateral surface of the base of metatarsal V (the metatarsal associated with the little toe).
The fibularis brevis assists in eversion of the foot and is innervated by the superficial fibular nerve.
No major artery passes vertically through the lateral compartment of the leg. It is supplied by branches (mainly from the fibular artery in the posterior compartment of the leg) that penetrate into the lateral compartment (Fig. 6.92).
Deep veins generally follow the arteries.
The nerve associated with the lateral compartment of the leg is the superficial fibular nerve. This nerve originates as one of the two major branches of the common fibular nerve, which enters the lateral compartment of the leg from the popliteal fossa (Fig. 6.92B).
The common fibular nerve originates from the sciatic nerve in the posterior compartment of the thigh or in the popliteal fossa (Fig. 6.92A), and follows the medial margin of the biceps femoris tendon over the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle and toward the fibula. Here it gives origin to two cutaneous branches, which descend in the leg: the sural communicating nerve, which joins the sural branch of the tibial nerve and contributes to innervation of skin over the lower posterolateral side of the leg; and the lateral sural cutaneous nerve, which innervates skin over the upper lateral leg.
The common fibular nerve continues around the neck of the fibula and enters the lateral compartment by passing between the attachments of the fibularis longus muscle to the head and shaft of the fibula. Here the common fibular nerve divides into its two terminal branches: the superficial fibular nerve, and the deep fibular nerve.
The superficial fibular nerve descends in the lateral compartment deep to the fibularis longus and innervates the fibularis longus and fibularis brevis (Fig. 6.91B). It then penetrates deep fascia in the lower leg and enters the foot where it divides into medial and lateral branches, which supply dorsal areas of the foot and toes except for: the web space between the great and second toes, which is supplied by the deep fibular nerve; and the lateral side of the little toe, which is supplied by the sural branch of the tibial nerve.
The deep fibular nerve passes anteromedially through the intermuscular septum into the anterior compartment of the leg, which it supplies.
Anterior compartment of leg
There are four muscles in the anterior compartment of the leg—the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digitorum longus, and fibularis tertius (Fig. 6.93 and Table 6.9). Collectively they dorsiflex the foot at the ankle joint, extend the toes, and invert the foot. All are innervated by the deep fibular nerve, which is a branch of the common fibular nerve.
The tibialis anterior muscle is the most anterior and medial of the muscles in the anterior compartment of the leg (Fig. 6.93). It originates mainly from the upper two-thirds of the lateral surface of the shaft of the tibia and adjacent surface of the interosseous membrane. It also originates from deep fascia.