Tibia: anatomy, landmarks and muscle attachments
The tibia, or shin bone, is the larger, weight-bearing bone of the leg. Learn its condyles, tibial tuberosity, anterior border and medial malleolus, its joints and its muscle attachments.
Quick answer
- Latin name
- Tibia
- Type
- Long bone
- Location
- Medial side of the leg, from the knee to the ankle
- Joints
- Knee joint with the femur; proximal and distal tibiofibular joints with the fibula; ankle joint with the talus
- Main landmarks
- Medial and lateral condyles, tibial plateau, intercondylar eminence, tibial tuberosity, anterior border, soleal line, medial malleolus
The tibia is the shin bone, the larger of the two bones of the leg and the one that carries the body's weight from the knee to the ankle.
Upper end
- The wide medial and lateral condyles form the flat tibial plateau on which the femur rests, cushioned by the menisci.
- The intercondylar eminence between them anchors the cruciate ligaments.
- The tibial tuberosity, at the front, receives the patellar ligament, so it's where the whole quadriceps, including the rectus femoris, pulls on the leg.
- On the upper medial surface, the pes anserinus receives the sartorius, gracilis and semitendinosus.
Shaft
- The sharp anterior border is the shin you feel under the skin. The tibialis anterior starts just lateral to it.
- On the back, the soleal line marks the origin of the soleus.
Lower end
- The medial malleolus is the bump on the inner side of the ankle.
- The lower surface articulates with the talus to form the ankle joint, together with the fibula.
Frequently asked questions
Is the tibia or the fibula the weight-bearing bone?
The tibia. The fibula carries very little of the body's weight.
What attaches to the tibial tuberosity?
The patellar ligament, which transmits the pull of the quadriceps femoris.
What is the medial malleolus?
The bony prominence on the inner side of the ankle, at the lower end of the tibia.