Hollow of the knee
The hollow of the knee ( Latin : Fossa poplitea ) or the back of the knee ( Regio genus posterior ) is the region of the body between the upper and lower leg located on the flexor side of the knee joint . In humans it is flat and diamond-shaped.
The hollow of the knee is bounded on the outside by the biceps femoris muscle and on the inside by the semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles . Both heads of the gastrocnemius muscle border the hollow of the knee below . The floor is of the popliteal surface ( Facies popliteal ) of the femur , the posterior wall of the joint capsule and from the popliteus muscle formed.
The back of the knee is thin. It is innervated by the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve , on the inside also by the saphenous nerve and on the outside by the lateral sural cutaneous nerve . The vena saphena parva runs directly under the fascia of the hollow of the knee .
The sciatic nerve or its two main branches (the tibial nerve and the common fibular nerve ) run in the hollow of the knee . The Nervus tibialis pulls the knee between both Gastrocnemiusknöpfe, while the common peroneal nerve is turning to one side and behind the fibula head to the surface occurs. The main vessels are the popliteal arteries and the popliteal veins . The artery divides into the posterior and anterior tibial arteries when it exits the hollow of the knee . The vascular-nerve cord of the hollow of the knee protrudes like a bulge when the knee is extended.
The popliteal lymph nodes ( Lymphonodi poplitei ) lie in the hollow of the knee .
literature
Gert-Horst Schumacher: Topographical anatomy of humans . 7th edition. Urban & Fischer, 2004, ISBN 978-3-437-41367-4 .
