The foot is the lower part of the lower limb. One side of it, the one that comes in contact with the surface of the floor, is called the sole, and the opposite, the upper - the back. The mobile, flexible and elastic vaulted structure with a bulge upwards has a foot. Anatomy and this form makes it capable of distributing weights, reducing tremors when walking, adapting to irregularities, achieving a smooth gait and elastic standing.
It performs a supporting function, carries the entire weight of a person and, together with other parts of the leg, moves the body in space.
Foot bones
Interestingly, a quarter of all the bones of his body are located in the human feet. So, in one foot there are twenty-six bones. Sometimes it happens that a newborn has several more seeds. They are called supplemental and usually they do not cause trouble for their owner.
With any damaged bone, the entire mechanism of the foot will suffer. The anatomy of the bones of the human foot is represented by three sections: tarsal, metatarsal and toes.
The first section includes seven bones, which are arranged in two rows: the back consists of the calcaneus and the ram, and the front consists of the scaphoid, three sphenoid and cuboid.
On each of them there are joints that connect them together.
The anatomy of the sole of the foot includes the metatarsus, which includes five short tubular bones. Each of them has a base, head and body.
All fingers, except the thumb, have three phalanges (the thumb has two). All of them are significantly shortened, and on the little finger, the average phalanx in many people merges with the nail.
Joints of the foot
The anatomy of the joint is represented by two or more connected bones. If they become ill, then severe pain is felt. Without them, the body would not be able to move, because it is thanks to the joints that the bones can change position relative to each other.
With regard to our topic, the anatomy of the lower leg of the foot is interesting, namely the joint that connects the lower part of the leg to the foot. It has a blocky shape. If damaged, walking, let alone running, will cause great pain. Therefore, a person begins to limp, transferring the bulk to a damaged leg. This leads to the fact that the mechanics of both limbs are disturbed.
Another in the area under consideration is the subtalar joint, formed from the connection of the posterior calcaneal surface with the posterior talus surface. If the foot rotates too much in different directions, it will not work properly.
But the wedge-navicular joint can to some extent compensate for this problem, especially if it is temporary. However, in the end, pathology can occur.
Severe pain, which can be prolonged, occurs in the metatarsophalangeal joints. The greatest pressure is on the proximal phalanx of the thumb. Therefore, it is the most susceptible to possible pathologies - arthritis, gout and others.
There are other joints in the foot. However, it is the four named ones that can suffer the most, since they have the maximum effect when walking.
Muscles, joints of the foot
The anatomy of this part is represented by nineteen different muscles, due to the interaction of which the leg can move. Overstrain or, on the contrary, underdevelopment will affect them due to the ability to change both the position of the bones and tendons and affect the joints. On the other hand, if something is wrong with the bones, this will certainly affect the muscles of the foot.
The anatomy of this part of the limb consists of plantar and shin muscles.
Thanks to the first, the toes move. Muscles located in different directions help to hold the longitudinal and transverse arches.
The muscles of the lower leg, which are attached by tendons to the bones of the foot, also serve this purpose. This is the anterior and posterior tibial muscles, a long fibular. From the bones of the lower leg originate those that extend and bend the toes. It is important that the muscles of the lower leg and foot are tensed. The anatomy of the latter will then be better expressed than with their constantly relaxed state, since otherwise the foot may flatten, which will lead to flat feet.
Tendons and ligaments
Muscles are attached to the bones with the help of tendons, which are their continuation. They are durable, elastic and bright. When the muscle is stretched to the limit, the force is transmitted to the tendon, which can become inflamed if it is stretched excessively.
Ligaments are flexible but inelastic. They are around the joint, supporting it and connecting the bones. When you hit your finger, for example, swelling will be caused by a torn or stretched ligament.
Cartilage
Cartilage tissue covers the ends of the bones at the joints. You can clearly see this white substance at the ends of the chicken leg bone - this is cartilage.
Thanks to him, the surface of the bones have a smooth appearance. Without cartilage, the body would not be able to move smoothly and the bones would have to knock on each other. In addition, terrible pain would be felt due to their constant inflammation.
Circulatory system
On the foot there is a dorsal artery and posterior tibial. These are the main arteries that represent the foot. The anatomy of the circulatory system is also represented by smaller arteries, with which they transmit blood and further into all tissues. With insufficient oxygen supply, serious problems arise. These arteries are the most removed from the heart. Therefore, circulatory disorders occur primarily in these places. This can be expressed in atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
Everyone knows that veins deliver blood to the heart. The longest of them extends from the big toe over the entire inner surface of the foot. It is called a large saphenous vein. On the outside passes a small subcutaneous. Anterior and posterior tibial located deep. Small veins are busy collecting blood from the legs and transmit it to large ones. Small arteries saturate the blood with tissue. And capillaries bind arteries and veins.
The image shows the anatomy of the foot. The photo also shows the location of the blood vessels.
Those who have circulatory problems often complain of swelling that appears in the afternoon, especially if a lot of time was spent on their feet or after an air flight. Often there is a disease such as varicose veins.
If there is a change in skin color and temperature on the legs, and edema is also present, then these are clear signs that a person has problems with blood circulation. However, the diagnosis should in any case be made by a specialist, who should be consulted if the above symptoms are detected.
Nerves
Nerves everywhere transmit sensations to the brain and control the muscles. The foot has the same function. The anatomy of these formations is represented in it by four types: the posterior tibial, deep peroneal, superficial peroneal and calf nerves.
Diseases in this part of the limb can be caused by too much mechanical pressure. For example, tight shoes can compress the nerve, resulting in swelling. This, in turn, will result in constriction, numbness, pain, or an incomprehensible feeling of discomfort.
Functions
After studying the anatomy of the foot, the structure of its individual organs, you can go directly to its functions.
Due to its mobility, a person easily adapts to various surfaces on which he walks. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to do, and he would have simply fallen.
The body can move in different directions: forward, sideways and backward.
Most of the loads are absorbed by this part of the leg. Otherwise, in its other parts and the body as a whole, excessive pressure would be created.
The most common diseases
With a sedentary lifestyle, a disease such as flat feet can develop. It is transverse and longitudinal.
In the first case, the transverse arch is flattened and the forefoot rests on the heads of all metatarsal bones (in normal condition, it should rest only on the first and fifth). In the second case, the longitudinal arch is flattened, respectively, due to which the entire sole is in contact with the surface. With this disease, the legs get tired very quickly and pain in the foot is felt.
Another common disease is arthrosis of the ankle joint. In this case, pain, swelling and crunching in the indicated area are observed. The development of the disease consists in damage to the cartilage tissue, which can lead to deformation of the joints.
No less common is arthrosis of the toes. In this case, there is a violation of blood circulation and metabolic processes in the metatarsophalangeal joints. Symptoms of the disease are pain during movement, crunching, swelling of the fingers, and even the anatomy of the toes (deformation) may be impaired .
Many people know firsthand what a bump is at the base of the thumb. In official medicine, the disease is called hallux valgus, when the head of the phalanx bone is displaced. In this case, the muscles gradually weaken and the thumb begins to lean towards others, and the foot is deformed.
The anatomy of this part of the lower limb shows its uniqueness and functional importance. Studying the structure of the foot helps to treat it more carefully in order to avoid various diseases.