Foot Bones: Anatomy & Injuries - Foot Pain Explored (2024)

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There are thirty three foot bones in humans making the foot and ankle a complex structure.

The bones are arranged to be strong, stable and yet flexible enough for movement.

The foot itself can be divided into three sections: the hindfoot, midfoot and forefoot and the foot bones can be grouped into three sets: the tarsal bones, the metatarsals and the phalanges.

The most common problems affecting the foot and ankle bones are fractures (breaks in the bone), abnormal positioning (e.g. flat feet) and excessive bone growth (e.g. bunions and bone spurs).

Here, you can find out all about the different foot and ankle bones. We will look at how they fit together to provide an efficient way for us to move and what commonly goes wrong with them.

1. Tibia

The tibia is the long bone at the front of the shin that runs down fromthe knee. It forms the top and inner side of the ankle joint where itmeets the talus bone of the foot.

Towards the bottom of the tibia, thebone expands outwards forming the medial malleolus, the prominent parton the inner side of your ankle.

2. Fibula

The fibula is the smaller shin bone that runs down the outer side of the lowerleg. At the bottom it also expands outwards, forming a bony prominenceknown as the lateral malleolus. It extends slightly lower than themedial malleolus forming the outer side of the ankle joint where itarticulates with (meets) the talus.

1. Navicular

The navicular bone is found on the inner side of the foot. The navicular articulateswith five of the other tarsal bones - at the top with the talus, talonavicular joint, laterally (outer side) with the cuboid, cubonavicular joint, and at the bottom it articulates with the three cuneiform bones.

In around 10% of the population, a small extra piece of bone develops next to the navicular which may or may not be attached to it - this is known as an accessory navicular and cause inner arch pain.

2. Cuboid

The cuboid foot bone is found on the outer side of the foot. At the back, it links to the heel bone, known as the calcaneocuboid joint.

On the medial side the cuboid bone articulates with the navicular and third cuneiform onthe medial side. At the front it forms the lateral link between thetarsal and metatarsal foot bones, known as the tarsometatarsal joints.

2. Phalanges

The phalanges are the small foot bones that make up the toes. The big toe is made up of two phalanges, whilst the other four toes, known as the lesser toes, and each made up of three phalanges:

• Proximal Phalanges: (green on diagram) these are the toe bones that articulate with the metatarsals, at the joints known as the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP). They tend to be the largest of all the phalanges
• Middle/Intermediate Phalanges: (blue) these are the small phalanges in the middle of the toes. The big toe does not have a middle phalanx
• Distal Phalanges: (red) these are the toe bones furthest away from the body

The joints between the proximal and middle phalanges are known as the proximal interphalangeal joints (PIP) and the joints between the middle and distal phalanges are known as the distal interphalangeal joints (DIP).

The most common problems affecting the foot bones are injury and stiffness which can changes the position of the joints:

• These are the most common problems affecting the toe joints. The toe joints get pushed into the wrong position in various ways causing the toes to bend. Each one presents slightly differently.
• Accessory Navicular Syndrome: Irritation of the small extra piece of bone that can form in the inner foot arch
• Turf Toe:This is a common problem in athletes affecting the big toe. It causes pain, inflammation and stiffness
• Bunions: These most commonly affect the big toe, the classic symptom of which is the toe deviating inwards forming a lump on the outer side of the foot
• Fractures:If too much stress is placed through the foot bones, either through a one-off injury, oras a result of repetitive stress, the bones can break
• Bone Spurs:These develop when excess layers of bone are formed in response to repeated friction on the bone.
• Shin Splints: Common in runners who have recently increased their activity levels, there is inflammation of the lining of the tibia bone, resulting in pain and tenderness along the inner, lower shin

You can find out more about how these problems including how they develop and how to treat them by reading the articles – simply click on the links above. Alternatively, visit the foot pain diagnosis section for help working out what is causing your pain.