Superior Tibiofibular Joint (Outer Knee)

Bones: The tibia and the fibula.

Ligaments: Due to the slightly narrowing head of the fibula there is and anterior and posterior (front and back) tibiofibular ligament. Also between the two bones going down the leg is an Interosseous membrane to help hold the bones together.

Muscles: There are 9 attach to the fibula, only one of which acts on the fibula. The biceps femoris is one of the hamstrings and attaches at the fibula.

Mechanics: Due to the tight association of the tibia and the fibula the contraction of the biceps femoris muscle actually bends the tibiofemoral joint. Otherwise there is very little movement at this joint besides torsional support.

Purpose: The fibula provides secondary support to the lower leg, it provides additional surface for muscular attachments, and the other end of the bone provides support for the ankle.

Manipulation: There is no direct manipulation of this joint. However a very strong strike can break the bone seeing as how it is much thinner than the tibia. This bone is surrounded by a decent amount of muscle to dampen the blow felt on the fibula but if broken will impair muscular function of the lower leg.

For the other end of this joint please refer to the Talocrural Region (Combined Ankle Joint) which contains the Inferior Tibiofibular Joint (Outer Ankle).
For information on additional joints please refer back to the Joints page.