Parts of a Foot

Your foot is made up of soft tissue and bones that work together to form a healthy, functioning, and pain-free foot.

• Muscles contract and relax to move the foot.

• Tendons are tough fibers that connect muscles to bones.

• Ligaments are fibrous strands that connect bones.

• Nerves travel throughout the foot, providing feeling.

• Nails protect the tips of the toes.

• Phalanges are the toe bones.

• Metatarsals are the bones between the toes and the ankle bones.

• Tarsals are bones of the rear foot (hindfoot) or middle foot (midfoot).

• The talus is one of the ankle bones.

• The calcaneus is the heel bone.

• The arch is formed by bones and held in place with ligaments.

• Joints are the meeting points between two bones. They are lined with cartilage. Cartilage is smooth tissue that allows joints to move easily.

• The plantar fascia is a sheet of fibrous tissue that supports the arch and encloses muscles there.