Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Human Foot Anatomy

Foot Anatomy

Our feet are perfectly structured to support the weight of our body. It is the only body part in contact with the ground when we stand or move and perform different functions:

They act as shock absorbers
We help maintain balance on uneven surfaces
We provide propulsion, elasticity and flexibility needed for walking, jumping and running.

The foot contains 26 bones (28 if we include the two sesamoid bones), which are divided into three sections: front foot, midfoot and rear foot.

The front foot is composed of 5 metatarsals and 14 phalanges. The metatarsals form a bridge between the midfoot and toes, and stretch when the foot is bearing weight. Each bone has a rounded part called metatarsal head, which form the sole of the foot and supports your body weight.

The phalanges are the bones of the fingers.

The midfoot is made up of 5 of the 7 tarsi. The midfoot shanks are the cuboid, the navicular and cuneiform 3 wedges.

The back foot is composed of two tarsi: the calcaneus and talus.

The talus, or ankle bone is connected to the two long bones of the lower leg forming the joint that allows the foot to move up and down.

A network of muscles, tendons and ligaments move, supported and held in position on the bones of the foot.

The muscles have several important functions. Move your feet, lift the toes, fingers stabilize soil, control the movements of the ankle and arch support.

Tendons connect muscles to bones and joints. The larger the Achilles tendon, which extends from the calf muscle to the heel and can run, jump, climb stairs and stand on tiptoe.

Ligaments hold the tendons in place and stabilize joints. The longest ligament of the foot is the plantar fascia, which forms the arch between the heel and toes and keeps the balance and walking. If ant thing left while explaining human foot anatomy please let us know