AnatomyLower limbAnkle and foot

Joints and ligaments of the foot: want to learn more about it?

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Joints and ligaments of the foot

Learning objectives

After completing this study unit you will be able to:

Identify the main joints of the foot.
List the main ligaments of the foot.

Watch videos

Since the foot is such a complex structure with many bones and joints, it’s only natural that it has numerous ligaments that help to stabilize and enable optimal movement of the foot. The ligaments of the foot are categorized based on their associated joints, with each joint of the foot containing 2 or more ligaments. Conveniently, most ligaments are named after the joint they support e.g. dorsal, plantar and interosseous cuboideonavicular ligaments.

Watch this video for a comprehensive review of all the ligaments of the foot and their associated joints!

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Browse atlas

Beginning proximally at the subtalar (talocalcaneal) joint. In the upper image, we see the lateral, anterior and interosseous talocalcaneal ligaments, while in the lower image we can identify the medial and posterior talocalcaneal ligaments. Moving distally to the ligaments of the talocalcaneonavicular joint: the dorsal talonavicular and the calcaneonavicular ligaments are visible laterally, and the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament medially. Next, the ligaments of the calcaneocuboid joint: the calcaneocuboid, the dorsal calcaneocuboid and the long plantar ligaments (lateral view). We can also see some ligaments of the cuboideonavicular joint, such as the dorsal cuboideonavicular, and cuboideonavicular ligaments.

Summary

Key points about the ligaments the foot
Talocalcaneal joint	Medial, lateral, posterior, interosseous and anterior talocalcaneal ligaments
Talocalcaneo-navicular joint	Dorsal talonavicular ligament, plantar calcaneonavicular ligament
Calcaneocuboid joint	Calcaneocuboid, dorsal calcaneocuboid, plantar calcaneocuboid, long plantar ligaments
Cuboideonavicular joint	Dorsal cuboideonavicular, plantar cuboideonavicular, interosseous cuboideonavicular ligaments
Cuneonavicular joint	Dorsal cuneonavicular (3), plantar cuneonavicular (3), medial cuneonavicular ligaments
Cuneocuboid joints	Dorsal cuneocuboid, plantar cuneocuboid, interosseous cuneocuboid ligaments
Intercuneiform joints	Dorsal (2), interosseous (2) and plantar intercuneiform ligaments (1 or 2)
Tarsometatarsal joint	Dorsal and plantar tarsometatarsal, cuneometatarsal interosseous ligaments
Intermetatarsal joints	Dorsal, plantar, and interosseous metatarsal ligaments
Metatarso-phalangeal joints	Plantar and collateral metatarsophalangeal, deep transverse metatarsal ligaments
Interphalangeal joints of foot	Plantar and collateral interphalangeal ligaments

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