Feet are complicated. When you injure your foot or ankle, it’s hard to know exactly what kind of damage exists. It could be broken bones (there are 26 bones in each foot). It could be a joint injury (the human foot has 33 joints, which are formed wherever two or more bones meet). Or it could be an injury to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments (over 100) in the foot. Because the feet are so complicated, you want a foot and ankle specialist, like Dr. Laha or Dr. Hall at Kansas City Foot Specialists who has experience and can tell a lot about your feet just by examining them. Let’s take a look at the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that make up the human foot.
Bones of the Foot
The bones of the foot are grouped into three categories – the phalanges, tarsal bones, and metatarsal bones.
Phalanges
The phalanges are the bones in the toes. The second to fifth toes each contain three phalanges. From the back of the foot to the front, doctors call them the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges. The big toe or hallux contains only two phalanges, which are proximal and distal. The metatarsal-phalangeal joints are the joints between the metatarsals and the proximal phalanx of each toe. These joints form the ball of the foot. The first metatarsal phalangeal joint sits in line with the big toe. It is a common area for foot pain and other problems.
Tarsal Bones
Tarsal bones are a group of seven bones that make up the rear section of the foot. They include:
- The talus, or ankle bone: The talus is the bone at the top of the foot. It connects with the tibia and fibula bones of the lower leg.
- The calcaneus, or heel bone: The calcaneus is the largest of the tarsal bones. It sits below the talus and plays an essential role in supporting body weight.
- The five tarsals: These five bones form the arch of the midfoot. They are the medial, intermediate, and lateral cuneiforms, the cuboid, and the navicular.
Metatarsal bones
The metatarsal bones are a group of five tubular bones in the middle of the foot that connect to the tarsal bones and the phalanges. The metatarsals sit in a row and are numbered one through five. Number one sits closest to the arch of the foot, and number five sits at the outer edge of the foot.
Joints of the Foot
The foot’s joints are extremely important for foot movement. They are responsible for bearing weight and propelling the body forward when walking or running. To do this, the joints must be both flexible and stable. The foot’s flexibility comes from its many joints, some of which involve more than two bones. Joints in the foot include:
- Tars metatarsal joints: Connect the midfoot to the forefoot
- Phalange metatarsal joints: Connect the phalanges (toe bones) to the metatarsals (long foot bones) at the ball of the foot
- Big toe: Has two joints, two phalange bones, and two sesamoid bones that allow the toe to move up and down
- Other toes: Have three joints, each with two bones meeting
Muscles, Tendons, and Ligaments
Muscles
The human foot has 29 muscles, ten of which originate outside the foot but cross the ankle joint to affect the foot, and 19 of which are intrinsic foot muscles. Each
muscle has a specific purpose. Some help with balance, some with strength, and still others are responsible for range of motion. Foot muscles also make activities like running, jumping, and swimming possible.
Tendons
Tendons that connect muscles to bones and control movement. The human foot has over 100 tendons that work together with ligaments and muscles to support the body, bear weight, allow for locomotion, and transmit force.
Ligaments
Ligaments are tough, fibrous connective tissues that attach bones to other bones at joints. The human foot has over 100 ligaments. These ligaments work together with the foot’s 26 bones and 33 joints to provide support, balance, and mobility.
Foot and Ankle Specialists
Now that you know just a little about the foot and ankle bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, let’s say you sprain your ankle. Most likely, you will go home, ice it, elevate it, and keep weight off of it. But if the pain persists, you will have no real idea what is wrong with it because it could be so many different things. That’s where a podiatrist comes in handy. At KC Foot Specialists, Drs. Laha and Hall deal with nothing but feet and ankles day after day, year after year. They are intimately familiar with the structure of the human foot as well as the most common injuries and conditions (as well as the rare and hard-to-diagnose problems).
Misdiagnosis Can Cost You
If you are suffering from foot or ankle pain, see a podiatrist right away. Walking on a damaged foot can cause further damage and make your recovery take longer. But make sure you see a foot and ankle specialist like Dr. Laha or Dr. Hall. If your foot injury is misdiagnosed, you could spend time in physical therapy treating a problem that required surgery, or receive surgery for a problem that could have been fixed with physical therapy, or custom orthotics. Time off your feet is time lost. For some people, it even means time off work. We treat just about every type of foot or ankle problem you can think of from injury to overuse to genetically inherited issues. Let our foot and ankle specialists make the correct diagnosis, prescribe the proper treatment, and get you back on your feet again.
Best Podiatrist in Kansas City
We can talk all day about feet, but listen to what one of our patients had to say about her experience at KC Foot Specialists:
“As a clinician, I only go to the Best in Kansas City! I love Dr. Laha, Dr. Hall is also great. Dr. Laha has done 2 surgeries for me. I had the first surgery and it went very well. I went to a trauma surgeon after a later injury to my other ankle. I was told to do physical therapy. After 5 minutes of PT I left and went to Dr. Laha. He ordered an MRI. He stabilized and casted my ankle due to structural muscular injuries around my ankle bone. He was 1000 times better than the trauma surgeon I saw in the hospital. You can trust his immense knowledge and skills to help resolve your pain. KC’s best for foot injuries and pain here!!!!!”
– Kim S.
Feet are special. Your feet are special. Make sure you take them to a foot and ankle specialist when you have any kind of issue.
Kansas City’s Only On-Site Foot Surgery Center
At Kansas City Foot Specialists, we have the only on-site foot surgery center in Kansas City. The Surgery Center of Blue Valley was created by Dr. Laha to provide a state-of-the-art foot surgery facility for our patients. This Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is a boutique surgery center where podiatrists perform foot and ankle surgery exclusively. Having our own podiatry surgery center allows us to provide the best equipment and a dedicated staff to treat all foot problems that require surgery.
