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The human leg, in the general sense, is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle (called crus in Latin; the posterior of the crus is the sura). Legs are used for standing, walking, jumping, running, kicking, and dancing and similar activities, and constitute a significant portion of a person's mass. Female legs generally have greater hip anteversion and tibiofemoral angles, but shorter femur and tibial lengths than those in males. ==Structure== In human anatomical terms, the leg is the part of the lower extremity that lies between the knee and the ankle, the thigh is between the hip and knee and the term "lower extremity" is used to describe the colloquial leg. This article generally follows the common usage. The leg from the knee to the ankle is called the ''cnemis'' or crus. The calf is the back portion and the shin is the front. The tibia and fibula are the two bones of the crus. Evolution has provided the human body with two distinct features: the specialization of the upper limb for visually guided manipulation and the lower limb's development into a mechanism specifically adapted for efficient bipedal gait. While the capacity to walk upright is not unique to humans, other primates can only achieve this for short periods and at a great expenditure of energy. The human adaption to bipedalism is not limited to the leg, however, but has also affected the location of the body's center of gravity, the reorganisation of internal organs, and the form and biomechanism of the trunk. In humans, the double S-shaped vertebral column acts as a shock-absorber which shifts the weight from the trunk over the load-bearing surface of the feet. The human legs are exceptionally long and powerful as a result of their exclusive specialization to support and locomotion — in orangutans the leg length is 111% of the trunk; in chimpanzees 128%, and in humans 171%. Many of the leg's muscles are also adapted to bipedalism, most substantially the gluteal muscles, the extensors of the knee joint, and the calf muscles.〔''Thieme Atlas of Anatomy'' (2006), p 360〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「human leg」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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