The popliteal fossa (fossa poplitea, in Latin) is an anatomical region located on the posterior surface of the knee-joint region. It is rhomboid in shape. Superiorly and medially, it is bounded by the semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscle. Superiorly and laterally, it is limited by the biceps femoris muscle. Inferiorly, it is confined by both heads of the gastronemius muscle and the plantaris muscle. The floor of the fossa is constituted by the popliteal surface of the distal end of femur and the posterior surface of the knee-joint capsule.
The region of the popliteal fossa is crisscrossed by a network of arteries that supply the different muscles and bones of the distal portion of thigh and the leg. These are the branches of the popliteal artery, which in turn is the continuation of the femoral artery. It is innervated by the popliteal nerve as well as by the tibial and the common peroneal nerve, all of them being branches of the sciatic nerve.
Below, diagram showing the popliteal fossa region, with the different muscles, arteries and nerves.
