General information
At the foot seven tarsal bones are distinguished. These are divided into a row close to the body (proximal) and a row far from the body (distal). The bones near the ankle (proximal) are tarsal bones: In the direction of the toes are the five bones farthest from the body (distal): The tarsal bones must absorb the entire weight of the body with every step and transfer most of this weight to the ground. They are in contact with each other via joint connections and are fixed by various tight ligaments.
- The anklebone (talus)
- And the heel bone (calcaneus).
- Scaphoid (Os navicular),
- Three cuneiform legs (Ossa cuneiformia medial, intermedial and lateral)
- And the cuboid bone (Os cuboideum).
The anklebone (talus)
The ankle bone consists of three different parts: The head of the astragalus (caput tali) is in contact with the scaphoid (Os naviculare) and forms a joint with it. It is completely covered with cartilage and closes the ankle joint towards the front. The body of the ankle bone (Corpus tali) is also divided into different parts: The anklebone does not contain any muscle attachments, but serves as the highest tarsal bone for the transmission of force to the arch of the foot.
- An anterior ankle head (Caput tali),
- As well as the ankle bone neck (Collum tali)
- And an ankle body (Corpus tali).
- The ankle roll (trochlea tali) consists of an upper surface and a central and lateral surface, each of which forms different joint surfaces for the malleolar fork and serves for articulation with the upper ankle joint.
- Three further joint surfaces on its underside serve for articulation with the scaphoid.
The heel bone (calcaneus)
The heel bone is the largest bone of the foot. Its rear part is very prominent and is called tuber calcanei. It is visible and palpable as the heel (rear foot) and is the starting point of the Achilles tendon.
The upper part of the heel bone together with the ankle bone form the lower ankle joint. Towards the front there is a joint connection to the cuboid bone (Os cuboideum). The heel bone is the pressure point at the heel for upright standing and walking.
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