Human lower limb muscles: an evaluation of weight and fiber size.

Morphological study of the lower limb muscles is necessary for the analysis of muscle function and its relation to the aging process. In this study, we measured the muscle weight and the muscle fiber morphometry (cross-sectional area and total number of muscle fibers at the muscular belly, and muscle fiber size) of the human lower limb in an adult Japanese cadaver (male, 58 years old). The results presented here can provide the normal control data to elucidate the aging process of the human lower limb muscles. The morphological features in the human lower limb muscles were the pronounced enlargement of the gluteus maximus in the hip, the vasti muscles in the thigh and the soleus in the leg.