05/10/2025
The foot can be divided into two main parts: the bottom of the foot, also known as the sole or plantar region, and the top of the foot, also known as the dorsum of the foot or the dorsal region.
Alternatively, it can be divided into three sections: the hindfoot, containing the talus and calcaneus; the midfoot, containing the navicular, cuboid, and cuneiforms; and the forefoot, which includes the metatarsals and phalanges.
The foot also has two important landmarks: the heel, which is the sole of the foot underlying the calcaneus, and the ball of the foot, which is the sole underlying the heads of the medial two metatarsals.
Let’s focus on the foot’s fascia. Beneath the skin, fascia is one of the more superficial elements, which varies in thickness and strength across the foot.
The fascia of the foot can be divided into superficial and deep fascia. The superficial fascia contains subcutaneous fat tissue and is much thicker at the heel.
The deep fascia of the dorsum of the foot is rather thin and continuous proximally with the inferior extensor retinaculum. It's also continuous with the plantar fascia, the deep fascia of the sole.
Speaking of which, the plantar fascia helps protect the sole from injury and supports the longitudinal arches of the foot. It consists of a thick central part, called the plantar aponeurosis, and weaker medial and lateral parts.
The plantar aponeurosis is strong, because it consists mostly of dense fibrous connective tissue that divides into five bands that become continuous with the fibrous digital sheaths that enclose the flexor tendons that pass to the toes.
In the midfoot and forefoot, the plantar aponeurosis has vertical intermuscular septa that form the medial, central, and lateral compartments of the sole.
Learn more about the anatomy of the foot and try Osmosis from Elsevier for free – link in bio.