Anatomy of the foot

Anatomy of the foot

Your foot is made up of 3 sections. Your forefoot is comprised of 4 smaller toes
(phalanges) and 1 big toe (hallux). Your midfoot (metatarsal bones) and hindfoo
t (tarsal bones) make up your foot arches, instep, heel and ankle; these are res
ponsible for weight bearing and propulsion. Your arches contain bones, ligaments
, muscles and tendons of your foot, which require a lot of stability and flexibi
lity.
Your foot bones work with your foot muscles to move your foot in 4 directions: d
orsiflexion (moving foot upward), plantar flexion (moving foot downward towards
sole), abduction (moving foot outward) and adduction (moving foot inward). Your
lower leg muscles have long tendons that cross your ankle and attach to your foo
t and toe bones to help move your foot. Your extensor muscles and tendons attach
on the top of your foot, and your flexor, abductor and adductor muscles and ten
dons attach on the bottom of your foot. Your achilles tendon is the strongest an
d largest tendon in your body and it connects your calf muscles (gastrocnemius a
nd soleus) to your heel bone (calcaneus), allowing your foot to push off when yo
ur calf muscles tighten. It is essential for walking, running and jumping.
Anatomy of the foot
Your plantar fascia (plantar aponeurosis) is a pearly white, sheet-like band of
strong and fibrous connective tissue (collagen fibers) that resembles a flattene
d tendon or ligament which connects the bones and tissues on the sole of your fo
ot. The plantar fascia starts from a nodule on the middle portion of your heel b
one (medial calcaneal tubercle) - the largest bone in your foot, which transfers
weight from your body to the ground. It then moves across the bottom of your fo
ot and fans out around the ball of your foot attaching at the base of your toes
forming the longitudinal arch. The plantar fascia cushions and provides shock ab
sorption from pressure, acting like a rubber band that loosens and contracts wit
h movement, supporting and stabilizing your medial and lateral foot arches, and
locking your bones in place when you put weight on it. It is used during the "ta
ke-off" phase when you walk or run (heel-lift to toe-off).
The fat pad in your heel covers your plantar fascia to help with shock absorptio
n.
The plantar and calcaneal nerves on the bottom of your foot are closely associat
ed with your plantar fascia.
Extreme pain can be felt in you plantar fascia while walking - for more informat
ion please visit aidmyplantar.com