Lower limb
Sural arteries
Arteriae surales
- Origin
- Large muscular branches arising from the popliteal artery within the popliteal fossa
- Insertion
- Enter the muscle bellies of the medial and lateral heads of gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris
- Function
- Primary blood supply to the powerful calf plantarflexors during sprinting and jumping
- Innervation
- Sympathetic vasomotor fibers
- Movement & chain
- Subject to substantial intramuscular pressure changes during triceps surae contraction
- Palpation
- Not palpable through thick gastrocnemius muscle bellies
- Clinical
- Vascular pedicles for medial and lateral gastrocnemius rotational flaps, the workhorse flap for covering exposed knee prostheses and proximal tibia fractures
- Segmental innervation
- S1–S2 spinal segments
- In clinical practice
- Pivotal muscle flap pedicle in orthopedics and limb salvage for soft tissue coverage around the knee
- Region in the model
- Lower limb