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This article is about the human leg bone. For other uses, see Tibia (disambiguation).
Tibia - frontal view.png
Position of tibia (shown in red)
Braus 1921 293.png
Cross section of the leg showing the different compartments (latin terminology)
Latin (os) tibia
Gray's p.256
Articulations Knee, ankle, superior and
inferior tibiofibular joint
MeSH Tibia
TA A02.5.06.001
FMA FMA:24476
Anatomical terms of bone

The tibia /ˈtɪbiə/ (plural tibiae /ˈtɪbii/ or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula), and it connects the knee with the ankle bones. The tibia is found next to the fibula on the medial side of the leg, closer to centre-line. The tibia is connected to the fibula by the interosseous membrane of leg, forming a type of joint called a syndesmosis with very little movement. The tibia is named for the Greek aulos flute, also known as a tibia. It is commonly recognized as the strongest weightbearing bone of the body.[citation needed]




The tibia is categorized as a long bone and is as such composed of a diaphysis and two epiphyses. The diaphysis is the midsection of the tibia also known as shaft or body. While the epiphyses are the two rounded extremities of the bone; an upper (also known as superior or proximal) closest to the thigh and a lower (also known as inferior or distal) closest to the foot. The tibia is most contracted in the lower third and the distal extremity is smaller than the proximal.




The shaft or body of the tibia is triangulate in cross-section and forms three borders: An anterior, medial and lateral or interosseous border. These three borders form three surfaces; the medial, lateral and posterior.[2] The forward flat part of the tibia is called the fibia, often confused with the fibula.[citation needed]


Blood supply[edit]






In the knee the tibia forms one of the two articulations with the femur, often referred to as the tibiofemoral components of the knee joint.[4][5] This is the weightbearing part of the knee joint.[2] The tibiofibular joints are the articulations between the tibia and fibula which allows very little movement.[citation needed] The proximal tibiofibular joint is a small plane joint. The joint is formed between the undersurface of the lateral tibial condyle and the head of fibula. The joint capsule is reinforced by anterior and posterior ligament of the head of the fibula.[2] The distal tibiofibular joint (tibiofibular syndesmosis) is formed by the rough, convex surface of the medial side of the distal end of the fibula, and a rough concave surface on the lateral side of the tibia.[2] The part of the ankle joint known as the talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus.[6] The articulation between the tibia and the talus bears more weight than between the smaller fibula and the talus.[citation needed]


Plan of ossification of the tibia. From three centers.

The tibia (a bone in the Human Body) is ossified from three centers : one for the body and one for either extremity. Ossification begins in the center of the body, about the seventh week of fetal life, and gradually extends toward the extremities.

The center for the upper epiphysis appears before or shortly after birth at close to 34 weeks gestation; it is flattened in form, and has a thin tongue-shaped process in front, which forms the tuberosity; that for the lower epiphysis appears in the second year.

The lower epiphysis fuses with the tibial shaft at about the eighteenth, and the upper one fuses about the twentieth year.



Muscle attachments[edit]

Muscle attachments (seen from front)
Muscle attachments (seen from back)
Muscle Direction Attachment[7]
Tensor fasciae latae muscle Insertion Gerdy's tubercle
Quadriceps femoris muscle Insertion Tuberosity of the tibia
Sartorius muscle Insertion Pes anserinus
Gracilis muscle Insertion Pes anserinus
Semitendinosus muscle Insertion Pes anserinus
Horizontal head of the semimembranosus muscle Insertion Medial condyle
Popliteus muscle Insertion Posterior side of the tibia over the soleal line
Tibialis anterior muscle Origin Lateral side of the tibia
Extensor digitorum longus muscle Origin Lateral condyle
Soleus muscle Origin Posterior side of the tibia under the soleal line
Flexor digitorum longus muscle Origin Posterior side of the tibia under the soleal line



Clinical significance[edit]


Fractures of the tibia can be divided into those that only involve the tibia; Bumper fracture, Segond fracture, Gosselin fracture, Toddler's fracture, and those including both the tibia and fibula; Trimalleolar fracture, Bimalleolar fracture, Pott's fracture.

Society and culture[edit]

In Judaism, the tibia, or shankbone, of a goat is used in the Seder Plate.


In animals[edit]

The structure of the tibia in most other tetrapods is essentially similar to that in humans. The tuberosity of the tibia, a crest to which the patellar ligament attaches in mammals, is instead the point for the tendon of the quadriceps muscle in reptiles, birds, and amphibians, which have no patella.[9]

Additional images[edit]

See also[edit]




  1. ^ a b c d Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, A. Wayne; Mitchell, Adam W. M. (2010). Gray´s Anatomy for Students (2nd ed.). pp. 558–560. ISBN 978-0-443-06952-9. 
  2. ^ a b c d Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, A. Wayne; Mitchell, Adam W. M. (2010). Gray´s Anatomy for Students (2nd ed.). pp. 584–588. ISBN 978-0-443-06952-9. 
  3. ^ Nelson G, Kelly P, Peterson L, Janes J (1960). "Blood supply of the human tibia". J Bone Joint Surg Am 42–A: 625–36. PMID 13854090. 
  4. ^ Rytter S, Egund N, Jensen LK, Bonde JP (2009). "Occupational kneeling and radiographic tibiofemoral and patellofemoral osteoarthritis". J Occup Med Toxicol 4: 19. doi:10.1186/1745-6673-4-19. PMC 2726153. PMID 19594940. 
  5. ^ Gill TJ, Van de Velde SK, Wing DW, Oh LS, Hosseini A, Li G (December 2009). "Tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics after reconstruction of an isolated posterior cruciate ligament injury: in vivo analysis during lunge". Am J Sports Med 37 (12): 2377–85. doi:10.1177/0363546509341829. PMID 19726621. 
  6. ^ Ankle+joint at eMedicine Dictionary
  8. ^ Wehner T, Claes L, Simon U. (2009). Internal loads in the human tibia during gait. Clin Biomech 24(3):299-302. PMID 19185959 doi:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2009.01.002

External links[edit]