comprised of three groups of bones which make up a total of 26 bones in each foot.
7 tarsals
2 ankle and 5 heel bones
5 metatarsals
foot bones
14 phalanges
2 bones in the big toe and 12 bones in the other toes
The Ankle
is made up on the meeting of the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) with the upper ankle bone (talus)
On the outside of the ankle is the fibula
a small thin bone which helps prevent the major ankle bone from shifting outward.
On the medial side of the ankle is a bump
which is the distal part of the tibia.
malleolus
means “hammer” in Latin, another name for the distal part of the tibia
The ankle joint is
more stable when the foot is flat on the floor.
The ankle is
held in place by the boney stabilizers of the fibula and malleolus because they are closer to the talus
The ankle
becomes less table when the toes are pointed because the distance between the boney stabilizers is larger
There is more danger of a sprain
when the toes are pointed down
If the foot is in dorsi flexion
it is more stable.
Six major soft tissue structures
hold the ankle in place.
Four soft tissue structures
are located on the outside of the ankle
All of these soft tissue structures? attach to the small ankle bone of the fibula.
The most commonly injured ligament of the ankle
is the Anterior Talo-Fibular Ligament or ATFL.
The ATFL
is often sprained due to a rolling of the ankle during sideways movements with abrupt stops.
The second most commonly torn ligament is the
Calcanea – Fibular ligament which attaches the heel to the fibula.
The deltoid ligament
is on the inside part of the ankle and is triangle shaped like the Greek letter delta
The DL
attaches the Malleolus to the Talus, and is sometimes referred to at the strongest ligament in the body
Plantar Fasciitis
A condition that occurs when there is a large band of tissue on the bottom of the foot called the plantar fascia
Plantar
bottom of the foot
Fascia
Connective Tissue
Itis
Inflammation
Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
includes a stretching routine or foot massage first thing in the morning to loosen the tissue
Instability (Giving Away)
A feeling of instability to your foot or ankle after a single or multiple injuries mean there may be damage to the ligaments of the ankle and foot.
Instability
Can be caused by recurrent sprains, which indicate weakened ligaments
Popping/Snapping
of the ankles or feet without any associated pain or instability is considered to be normal.
Popping
is caused by the tendons and ligaments moving across joint structures during movement if the tendon or ligament is tight.
Subluxation
when tendons jump out of their normal position and then move back.
Dislocation
when these tendons move out and you may have to manually push them back into place.
Numbness
A feeling of pins and needles around your foot and ankle may indicate a compression of your nerves or a general problem with your nerves, such as that caused by diabetes or vascular problems.
Bunion
Malformation of the metatarsal phalageal joint of the big toe resulting in an enlarged bump on the joint of the medial foot.
Bunion Treatment
includes massage, stretching, plantar flexion, and relaxing the foot.
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