LOWER LIMB, BLOOD CIRCULATION

Anatomic model of the systemic blood circulation of the pelvis and the lower limbs of an adult human body,
The blood circulates in the organisme through a network carrying the oxygenated blood from the heart to the whole body, via the arteries (in red), and then bringing the deoxygenated blood back to the heart via the veins (in royal blue).
The lower limbs are irrigated by oxygenated blood through the external iliac arteries, which continue with the femoral (in the thighs) and popliteal (in the knees) arteries. The latters divide then into the tibial and peroneal arteries (in the tibia and fibula areas, respectively), in order to vascularize the whole leg, and then into plantar and dorsalis pedis arteries in the foot, and at last into metatarsal and digital arteries in toes. Additional branchings allow to carry the arterial blood in all tissues of the lower part of the body.
The deoxygenated blood is drained from the lower limbs through a network of deep veins (in royal blue) called like the arteries, and of superficial veins : dorsal digital veins (at the level of the toes), dorsal metatarsal veins, dorsal venous arch (vein network of the hindfoot), long saphenous vein (from the foot to the groin) and short saphenous vein (along the posterior side of the leg).