Bones of the foot

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The human foot contains 26 bones that are divided into 3 groups. The tarsal bones are the most proximal ones, consisting of 7 irregularly shaped bones homologous to the carpal bones of the hand. Next are the metatarsal bones which are 5 long bones that are equivalent to the metacarpals​​​​​​​ of the hand. Lastly, we have the phalanges of the foot that form the toes in an identical manner that the phalanges of the hand form the fingers. The lateral four toes are made up of three phalanges (proximal, middle, and distal), while the great toe consists of only two phalanges (proximal and distal).

The foot is also traditionally divided into 3 regions; the hindfoot, midfoot and forefoot. The tarsal bones are contained in the hindfoot and midfoot, while the metatarsals and phalanges lie in the forefoot.

Check out the video below to find more about the bones and joints of the foot.

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That was a lot of information! Test your knowledge on the bones of the foot with the quiz below.

You can also customize your own quiz to be tested on some more topics other than the bones of the foot. For example, the following quiz covers bones, muscles, ligaments and neurovascular structures of both the ankle and foot.

Download the following PDF worksheets and identify the bones of the foot.

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Take a closer look at the bones of the foot in the gallery below. 

Summary