Each leg has 31 bones, 62 in both
Each leg has 31 bones, 62 in both legs. Five are the hip bone that attaches the leg to the trunk, the femur of the thigh, the patella of the knee and the tibia and fibula of the lower leg; the other 26 are the bones of the foot: 7 tarsals, 5 metatarsals and 14 phalanges. The femur is the longest and largest bone in the body.
Frequently asked questions
Is the hip bone counted as a leg bone?
It is when the appendicular skeleton is counted: the hip bone forms the pelvic girdle that attaches the leg to the trunk. Without it, the free leg has 30 bones on each side.
Is the kneecap one of the 206 bones?
Yes. The patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body, formed within the tendon of the quadriceps, and one on each side is counted in the 206.
Which bones are in the thigh and the lower leg?
The thigh has one bone, the femur. The lower leg has two: the thick tibia on the inner side and the slender fibula on the outer side.
The bones counted
Related counts
Other bone counts
- Bones in the human body
- Axial and appendicular skeleton
- Bones of the skull
- Bones of the spine
- Cervical vertebrae
- Thoracic vertebrae
- Lumbar vertebrae
- Number of ribs
- Bones of the hand
- Carpal bones
- Phalanges of the fingers and toes
Skeleton
Read more
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