THE ANKLES & FEET

Flexor digitorum longus 3. Lift your heel and put more weight onto the outer foot, and you’ll feel the tibialis posterior contract. Flexor hallucis longus Tibialis posterior 4. Lift all your toes (but not the ball of your foot) and touch the lower front shin, feeling the toe extensors under- neath tibialis anterior. We use these muscles for balance; even a small contraction from one or more of these important stabilizers will shift our balance. Figure 6.12 Extrinsic toe flexors and tibialis posterior to the other as we step or run. Its tendon is vulnerable to compression between our body’s weight and the floor, so we have two small sesamoid bones that surround it and take some of that weight. The toe extensors The toe extensors (one for the big toe, extensor hallucis longus, another for the other four toes, extensor digitorum lon- gus) lift the toes up (see Figure 6.13). They begin at the lateral side of the front shin and extend down across the ankle all the way to the toes. Figure 6.13 Extrinsic toe extensors Try this now. 1. Touch the back of your Achilles tendon to feel the tendons on either side of it. 2. Press all five toes down; you’ll feel the flexor digitorum longus and flexor hallucis longus contract. Group Three: The Intrinsics There are four layers of intrinsic muscles of the feet, and we will include some of them here. The muscles described below are crucial in supporting the arches, using the toes for balance and aligning the foot. You Extensor digitorum langus and extensor hallucis longus Extensor digitorum longus and extensor hallucis longus

Ankle retinacula

108