What kind of joint is toes

The foot can be divided into three anatomical sections called the hind foot, mid foot, and forefoot. The hind foot consists of the Talus bone or ankle bone and the calcaneous bone or heel bone.

The calcaneous bone is the largest bone in your foot while the talus bone is the highest bone in your foot. The calcaneous joins the Talus bone at the subtalar joint enabling the foot to rotate at the ankle. The mid foot contains five tarsal bones: the navicular bone, the cuboid bone, and 3 cuneiform bones. It connects the forefoot to the hind foot with muscles and ligaments.

The main ligament is the plantar fascia ligament. The mid foot is responsible for forming the arches of your feet and acts as a shock absorber when walking or running. The forefoot consists of your toe bones, called phalanges, and metatarsal bones, the long bones in your feet. Phalanges connect to metatarsals at the ball of the foot by joints called phalange metatarsal joints.

Each toe has 3 phalange bones and 2 joints, while the big toe contains two phalange bones, two joints, and two tiny, round sesamoid bones that enable the toe to move up and down. Sesamoid bones are bones that develop inside of a tendon over a bony prominence. The first metatarsal bone connected to the big toe is the shortest and thickest of the metatarsals and is the location for the attachment of several tendons. This bone is important for its role in propulsion and weight bearing.

Biomechanics is a term to describe movement of the body. The ankle joint by itself permits two movements:. Anatomy Anatomy web based movie The foot and ankle in the human body work together to provide balance, stability, movement, and propulsion. This complex anatomy consists of: 26 bones 33 joints Muscles Tendons Ligaments Blood vessels, nerves, and soft tissue In order to understand conditions that affect the foot and ankle, it is important to understand the normal anatomy of the foot and ankle.

Ankle The ankle consists of three bones attached by muscles, tendons, and ligaments that connect the foot to the leg. Tibia shin bone Fibula Talus Lateral Malleolus Medial Malleolus The bony protrusions that we can see and feel on the ankle are: Lateral Malleolus: this is the outer ankle bone formed by the distal end of the fibula. There are several types of arthritis that can affect the MTP joint. They all have similar symptoms, such as pain, stiffening of the joint that makes walking difficult, and swelling in and around the joint.

These conditions are:. Treatment of MTP joint pain is aimed at reducing the inflammation in the joint that occurs from both biomechanical problems and arthritis and relieving the stress and pressure on the joint for biomechanical problems. Your doctor may suggest corticosteroid injections, which involve injecting medication directly into the joint.

Or they may prescribe medications to treat the different types of arthritis to reduce joint inflammation. At-home treatments for biomechanical problems include using a pad to cover and protect painful areas, like bunions, and resting your foot.

The most important thing you can do to treat and prevent biomechanical problems is wear shoes that fit properly.

Avoid shoes that squeeze your toes together, such as pointy-toe shoes or ones that increase the pressure on your toes and ball of your foot, such as high heels. The front of your shoe called the toe box should be roomy enough to allow you to wiggle your toes. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association , heels over 2 inches high shift your body weight and significantly increase the pressure on your toes and the ball of your feet.

They should only be worn occasionally, if at all. These include:. The effects of excess pressure and force on the toes and several forms of arthritis can lead to painful, swollen MTP joints. Other problems can lead to pain around the MTP joint and ball of the foot. These conditions can be very painful and limit your activity, but they can usually be fixed or prevented with medications or orthotics. The best way to avoid most of these problems and prevent them from getting worse if you have them is to wear low-heeled shoes that fit properly.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis can include the appearance of your toe changing and difficulty walking. Anatomy of the Foot Each foot is made up of 26 bones, 30 joints and more than muscles, tendons and ligaments, all of which work together to provide support, balance and mobility. Nearly one-fourth of the body's bones are in our feet. The bones of the feet are: Talus — the bone on top of the foot that forms a joint with the two bones of the lower leg, the tibia and fibula.

Calcaneus — the largest bone of the foot, which lies beneath the talus to form the heel bone. Tarsals — five irregularly shaped bones of the midfoot that form the foot's arch. The tarsal bones are the cuboid, navicular and medial, intermediate and lateral cuneiforms. Metatarsals — five bones labeled one through five, starting with the big toe that make up the forefoot. Phalanges singular: phalanx — the 14 bones that make up the toes. The big toe consists of two phalanges — the distal and proximal.

The other toes have three. Sesamoids — two small, pea-shaped bones that lie beneath the head of the first metatarsal in the ball of the foot.

Except for the big toe, each of the toes has three joints, which include: Metatarsophalangeal joint MCP — the joint at the base of the toe Proximal interphalangeal joint PIP — the joint in the middle of the toe Distal phalangeal joint DP — the joint closest to the tip of the toe.

Each big toe has two joints: Metatarsophalangeal joint Interphalangeal joint The surfaces of the bones where they meet to form joints are covered with a layer of cartilage, which allows them to glide smoothly against one another as they move.

The main muscles of the foot include the: Tibilias posterior , which supports the foot's arch Tibilias anterior , which allows the foot to move upward Tibilias peroneal , which controls movement on the outside of the ankle Extensors , which help raise the toes, making it possible to take a step Flexors , which help stabilize the toes.

The main ligaments of the foot are: Plantar fascia — the longest ligament of the foot. The ligament, which runs along the sole of the foot, from the heel to the toes, forms the arch. By stretching and contracting, the plantar fascia helps us balance and gives the foot strength for walking.

Plantar calcaneonavicular ligament — a ligament of the sole of the foot that connects the calcaneus and navicular and supports the head of the talus. Calcaneocuboid ligament — the ligament that connects the calcaneus and the tarsal bones and helps the plantar fascia support the arch of the foot. Where it Hurts Anatomy of the Hip An inside look at the structure of the hip. Where it Hurts Anatomy of the Knee An inside look at the structure of the knee. Track Your Health Share your experience with arthritis to shape research and patient care for yourself and others.

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