Foot Anatomy: Brief reminder of foot anatomy

The foot is one of the most complex parts of the body and is made up of a quarter of all the bones in our skeleton. It consists of: 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and 250,000 sweat glands that eliminate approximately half a liter of sweat per day. A complicated articular system moves all the bone pieces among themselves and constitutes the main support element of all the structures of the skeleton, through a support system formed by three support points in the shape of an isosceles triangle. The vertex of the triangle corresponds to the calcaneal bone that forms the heel and the two angles at the base would correspond to the heads of the first and fifth metatarsal bones.

These three support points, in turn, are strongly united by aponeurotic and muscular bands, the so-called plantar arches:

• The internal plantar arch, It joins the calcaneal support with the head of the first metatarsal.
• The external plantar arch, It joins the calcaneal support with the head of the fifth metatarsal.
• The previous arc, joins the support points of the heads of the 1st and 5th metatarsals.

When we walk, all the weight of our body is received and supported by the first point of support, the heel, and from there, it progressively moves through the internal and external longitudinal arches towards the two other points of support in the forefoot. the anterior or metatarsal arch, which is responsible for supporting the entire weight of the body at the final moment of the step, aided by the contraction of the 5 toes of the foot. Likewise, the soles of the feet are protected by adipose tissue that acts as a pad so that the bone does not receive direct pressure from the ground.

We believe this example is illuminating enough to demonstrate the amount of weight our body receives and supports while walking. Thus, a man weighing 80 kg, during a normal walk, the heel supports about 300 kg in each step; while an athlete, the moment he jumps over a fence, his foot supports a weight of 2,000 kg in a fraction of a second.

A rich nervous system gives all the integuments and soft parts of the foot not only sensitivity, but also instantly transmits to the cortical and spinal motor centers the appropriate orders to generate neuromuscular reflexes, which act on the entire mass. muscle, facilitating movement and helping to maintain balance.

The foot is entrusted with important functions such as supporting the body weight, lever action to propel the body (walking and running) and cushioning the load. To carry out these functions, the forefoot has flexible spokes, the first and fifth being the most important during the phases of walking.

The foot is prone to suffering many alterations, and some of them are of an orthopedic nature, such as the crushing of the plantar arches. Mainly the internal and anterior arches generate a rich and frequent pathology in the foot. Such as: longitudinal flatfoot, anterior flatfoot and its sequel, hallux valgus. Foot problems can cause pain, inflammation, or injury, which in turn limits movement and mobility.

From a didactic point of view we can divide the foot into two parts:

• Retrofit: Back of the foot (heel).
• ANTEPIE: Front part of the foot (instep and toes).

Depending on the pathology (deformations) it presents, most of which are usually congenital, they receive the following nominations:

• VARUS FOOT: Foot in which the heel faces inward and is directed inward.
• VALGUUS FOOT: Foot in which the heel faces outward and is directed outward.
• PIE ATTACHED: The forefoot deviates inward.
• ABDUCTIVE FOOT: The forefoot deviates outwards.
• SUPINATED FOOT: The sole of the foot faces inward.
• PRONATED FOOT: The sole of the foot faces outwards.
• TATAL FOOT: Foot fixed in ankle dorsiflexion (heel support only).
• EQUINE FOOT: Foot fixed in plantar flexion of the ankle (support with the forefoot only).
• PIE INGREDIENTS: It is any foot that curves inward and downward and does not rest on the ground on its normal supports; Although when we talk about Clubfoot, we are generally referring to the one that is “Equino-Varus-Adductus and Supinated”.