Anatomical Structure In Figure 1.1 shown below you can see the Anatomical Structure of the foot and the different bones that make up the Toes, or Phalanges as they are also known. As you can see from the image below, the metatarsals are connected to the Ankle bones via the Tarsometatarsal Joint. It is the Metatarsals however that the Phalanges attach to. The Proximal Phalanges are attached to the Metatarsals via the Metatarsophalangeal Joints which are the joints found at the base of the toes. The Metatarsophalangeal Joints are Condyloid Joints which allow various planes of movement. Flexion, Extension, Abduction, Adduction and Circumduction are the various movements that the Metatarsophalangeal Joint can perform. The structure of a Condyloid joint consists of an oval end of a bone that fits into a …show more content…
This type of joint allows for a good range of motion across two different axes. As we move further towards the distal end of the Phalanges we have another joint between the Proximal Phalanges and the Middle Phalanges. However, there are only four Middle Phalanges as the Big Toe or Hallux as it is also known consists of just a Proximal Phalanx and a Distal Phalanx. The joints between the Middle Phalanges and the Distal Phalanges are called the Proximal Interphalangeal Joints and these are the joints found in the middle of the toes. These joints are found on all toes with the exception of the Hallux or Big Toe which like the four other toes consists of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint which is the joint that is closest to the top of the toes hence the name Distal Interphalangeal Joint. There are a number of different muscles that allow the Toes or Phalanges to perform different actions and these consist of the Abductor Hallucis, Extensor Digitorum Longus and the Flexor Digitorum Longus. The Abductor Hallucis is a muscle on the inside the foot that spans from the Big Toe or Hallux to the Heel. The action of this muscle is to pull the Big Toe or