Where is your metatarsals

Articles related to forefoot pain Read about various conditions that may be the cause of your forefoot pain, and learn about appropriate treatments. Back in the Game patient stories. In-person and virtual physician appointments. Book online. Urgent Ortho Care. Same-day in-person or virtual appointments. Joints of the midfoot: talonavicular, calcaneocuboid, intercunneiform, tarsometatarsal TMT. The cuboid bone is a square-shaped bone on the lateral aspect of the foot.

The main joint formed with the cuboid is the calcaneocuboid joint , where the distal aspect of the calcaneus articulates with the cuboid. The navicular is distal to the talus and connects with it through the talonavicular joint. The distal aspect connects to each of the three cuneiform bones. Like the talus, the navicular has a poor blood supply. On its medial side closest to the middle of the foot the navicular tuberosity is the main attachment of the posterior tibial tendon. The transverse tarsal joint is not a true joint, but the combination of the calcaneocuboid and talonavicular joints.

When these two joints are aligned in parallel, the foot is flexible yet when their axes are divergent, the foot becomes stiff. The shift from a flexible state to a stiff one allows the foot to serve as a shock absorber and as a rigid level in different phases of gait. There are three cuneiform bones in the foot: the medial, medial intermediate , and lateral cuneiforms Figure 7.

These bones, along with the strong plantar and dorsal ligaments that connect to them, provide a good deal of stability for the foot. Bones of the forefoot : Metatarsals 5 , Phalanges 14 , Sesamoid Bones 2. Each foot contains five metatarsals, numbered medial great toe to lateral. The first three metatarsals medially are more rigidly held in place than the lateral two.

The metatarsals articulate with the mid-foot at their base, a joint called the tarsal-metatarsal TMT joint , or Lisfranc joint. The TMT joint is made stable not only by strong ligaments connecting these bones, but also because the second metatarsal is recessed into the middle cuneiform in comparison to the others Figure 7.

The metatarsal heads are the main weight bearing surface and the site where the phalanges attached at the metatarsal-phalangeal MTP joint. The first toe, also known as the great toe or hallux , is the only one to have two phalanges; the other lesser toes have three. These are known as the proximal phalanx closest to the ankle and the distal phalanx farthest from the ankle. The phalanges form interphalangeal joints between themselves: a proximal interphalaneal joint PIP and the distal interphalangeal joint DIP Figure 8.

In the foot, there are two sesamoid bones located directly underneath the first metatarsal head, embedded in the medial tibial side and lateral fibular aspect of the flexor hallucis brevis tendon. Some feet contain accessory ossicles or accessory bones Figure 9. These extra bones are developmental variants. Over 40 different ossicles of the foot have been reported. The most common accessory bones include:. Os Trigonum: Found at the posterior aspect of the talar body, this ossicle is connected to the talus via a fibrous union that failed to unite ossify between the lateral tubercle of the posterior process.

Os Naviculare Os Tibiale Externum or Accessory Navicular : This bone represents a failure to unite the ossification center the navicular tuberosity where the tibialis posterior tendon inserts to the main center of the bone. Os Peroneum: This extra bone is found within the peroneus longus tendon sheath at the point where it wraps around the cuboid.

Bipartite Sesamoid: This condition occurs when one of the sesamoids associates with the great toe fails to ossify resulting in two bone segments connected by a fibrous union. It can be mistaken for a sesamoid fracture. Os Subfibulare: This extra bone is seen at the type of the fibula. It can be mistaken for an avulsion fracture. The anterior talofibular ligament Figure 10 is the most commonly injured ligament when an ankle is sprained. The ATFL runs from the anterior aspect of the distal fibula lateral malleolus down and to the outer front portion of the ankle in order to connect to the neck of the talus.

It stabilizes the ankle against inversion, especially when the ankle is plantar-flexed. The calcaneofibular ligament Figure 10 is also on the lateral side of the ankle. It starts at the tip of the fibula and runs along the lateral aspect of the ankle and into the calcaneus. It too resists inversion, but more when the ankle is dorsiflexed. The posterior talofibular ligament runs from the back lower part of the fibula and into the outer back portion of the calcaneus Figure This ligament functions to stabilize the ankle joint and subtalar joint.

The deltoid ligament is a fan shaped band of connective tissue on the medial side of the ankle Figure It runs from the medial malleolus down into the talus and calcaneus.

The deeper branch of the ligament is securely fastened in the talus, while the more superficial, broader aspect runs into the calcaneus. This ligament functions to resist eversion. The spring ligament Figure 11 is a strong ligament that originates on the sustentaculum tali — a bony prominence of the calcaneus on the medial aspect of the hindfoot. The spring ligament inserts into the plantar medial aspect of the navicular and serves to cradle and support the talar head.

The Lisfranc joint complex is a series of ligaments that stabilize the tarsometatarsal joints. These ligaments prevent the joints of the midfoot from moving much, and as such provide considerable stability to the arch of the foot. The Lisfranc ligament is a strong band of tissue that connects the medial cuneiform to the base of the second metatarsal.

These ligaments run between the metatarsal bones at the base of the toes Figure They connect the neck region of each metatarsal to the one next to it, and bind them together. This keeps the metatarsals moving in sync. The connective tissue of this ligament takes the form of a capsule Figure It goes from the medial portion of the first metatarsal head and stretches to the distal phalanx on the same side. This allows this ligament to stabilize the great toe on the medial side. In the situation where a person develops a bunion, this band gets stretched out, and the great toe changes position and becomes angulated outward.

These symptoms may worsen when walking or standing. People who develop bunions tend to compensate by carrying more weight on the second toe, which can cause calluses to develop. Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis. Although it can affect almost any joint in the body, it most commonly affects the joint at the base of the big toe. Uric acid is a chemical that usually dissolves in the blood and leaves the body through the urine.

In people with gout, excess uric acid begins to accumulate and form crystals in the joints. Uric acid crystal deposits can trigger an extreme inflammatory reaction, which causes pain and swelling in the affected area.

A hammer toe is a condition that usually affects toes other than the big toe. Instead of pointing straight out in front, these toes point downward, forming a claw shape. In most cases, the condition develops with age. It is usually the result of a muscle imbalance when the long muscles of the lower leg overpower the smaller muscles of the foot.

This imbalance causes the toes to bend inward. Heel spurs are bony growths that develop on the heel bone, or calcaneus. Although they may cause some discomfort, they are rarely painful.

However, heel spurs often develop as a result of a condition called plantar fasciitis, which can cause pain. Plantar fasciitis refers to inflammation and thickening of the plantar fascia, which is the ligament that supports the arch of the foot.

The following factors can increase the risk of developing plantar fasciitis:. People who develop heel spurs without plantar fasciitis are unlikely to experience painful symptoms.

Heel spurs affect up to one in 10 people. Of these, only half will experience any pain. Sesamoiditis is inflammation of one or both sesamoid bones at the base of the big toe. Learn about its function and anatomy, as well as the conditions that can affect….

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Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Read this next. Cuboid Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network.

Flexor digitorum brevis Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network. Dorsal calcaneocuboid ligament Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network. Dorsal tarsometatarsal ligament Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network. Distal phalanges foot Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network. Intermediate cuneiform Medically reviewed by the Healthline Medical Network.