2.4.

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Main ligaments supporting the arches of the foot
(2:48)
Now that weve seen the dry bones of the foot, lets see what theyre like in the living body. Were
already familiar with the ligaments around the ankle. What well look at now are the ligamentous
structures that hold this apparently delicate arch of bones together, and enable it to support the whole
weight of the body.
Heres the foot with all the soft tissues removed, and all the joints and ligaments intact. On the dorsum of
the foot theres an almost continuous layer of ligaments, connecting the tarsal bones both to each another
and to the metatarsals, and connecting the heads of the metatarsals together. The ligaments on the dorsum
of the foot are strong ligaments, but the truly impressive ligaments, the ones which support the
longitudinal arch, are on the underside of the foot.
First, heres the short plantar ligament. It goes from here on the calcaneus, to here on the cuboid bone.
Just in front of the short plantar ligament is the groove for the peroneus longus tendon. Lying directly
beneath the short plantar ligament is the long plantar ligament. The long plantar ligament also starts here
on the calcaneus, and goes all the way to the bases of the third, fourth and fifth metatarsals.
The long plantar ligament bridges over, or rather under, the peroneus longus tendon - heres the tendon,
going to its insertion on the base of the first metatarsal.
Theres another, even more impressive structure that supports the arch of the foot - the plantar
aponeurosis. The plantar aponeurosis is a massive sheet of tendon-like tissue that runs the whole length of
the foot. It starts here on the calcaneus. It fans out as it runs forward. As it approaches the MP joints, the
plantar aponeurosis splits into five divisions. Most of the fibers of each division pass into two slips, which
pass forward and upward toward the MP joint. Well see where they go in a minute.