ORTHOPEDICS/LEG, FOOT & ANKLE
The ankle is one of the most complicated foot part in the human body with a wide diversity of connecting bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
The ankle is the joint where the foot attaches to the bones of the lower leg, allowing the foot to move both up and down and side to side.
The ankle is the pivot that support the body weight and absorbs the impact when walking, running or jumping.
The task of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles in this zone of the foot is to providing steadiness and balance.
Any damage or weakness to any of the ankle parts will troubled the pace and the ability to walk normally.
The Ankle Bones and Joints
The ankle is mainly constitutes of two joints: The ankle joint and the subtalar joint.
The ankle joint attaches two bones (the tibia and the fibula) that form a joint allowing the foot to bend up and down. It is a synovial pivot joint also called the talocrural joint.
The subtalar joint attaches two bones of the foot (the talus and the calcaneus) and allows the foot to move side to side.
The bony lumps on the sides and back of the ankle are called malleolus. The medial malleolus is on the inside of your ankle, the lateral malleolus is on the outside of your ankle and the posterior malleolus is on the back of your ankle.
The Ankle Ligaments and Tendons
The large Achilles tendon is the vital tendon for walking, running and jumping.
The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscles to the heel bone allowing pushing off and up on the toes.
Any crack or tear to the Achilles tendon requires long recovery.
Moreover, another twelve tendons cross the ankle and are responsible for the ankle, foot, and toes movements.
Some of these tendons also help supporting the foot arches.
When an ankle is sprained, one of the ligaments is injured.
The frequent sprain occurs to the anterior talofibular ligament.
The calcaneofibular ligament is one that may be damaged with an ankle sprain as well.
The Ankle Muscles
Two types of muscles are found in the foot: intrinsic and extrinsic muscles.
The intrinsic muscles are situated within the foot and cause toes movement and are the foot flexors (plantar flexors), extensors (dorsiflexors), abductors, and adductors of the toes.
The extrinsic muscles are situated outside the foot, in the lower leg. The gastrocnemius muscle (calf) is the largest.