Movement Science Week 5 - Foot-Ankle

Foot and Ankle Anatomy

• The foot is divided into three sections: rearfoot (talus and calcaneus), midfoot (tarsal bones), and forefoot (metatarsals and phalanges).
• There are seven primary bones in the foot: calcaneus, talus, navicular, cuboid, lateral cuneiform, intermediate cuneiform, and medial cuneiform.

Foot and Ankle Joints

• There are three major joints in the foot and ankle: talocrural joint, subtalar joint, and transverse tarsal joint.
• The talocrural joint is the ankle joint.
• The subtalar joint connects the talus and calcaneus.
• The transverse tarsal joint is a combination of the calcaneocuboid and talonavicular joints.

Foot and Ankle Movements

• Fundamental movements:
  • Plantarflexion and dorsiflexion (medial-lateral axis)
  • Inversion and eversion (anterior-posterior axis)
  • Abduction and adduction (vertical axis)
• Applied movements:
  • Pronation: eversion, abduction, and dorsiflexion.
  • Supination: inversion, adduction, and plantarflexion.

Talocrural Joint

• This joint has a convex structure (talus) moving within a concave structure (tibia and fibula).
• The axis of rotation runs through the malleoli and sits slightly posterior and inferior to the medial malleolus.
• Osteokinematics:
  • Dorsiflexion: posterior slide with anterior roll.
  • Plantarflexion: posterior roll with anterior slide.
• Arthrokinematics:
  • Dorsiflexion: posterior slide with anterior roll.
  • Plantarflexion: posterior roll with anterior slide.

Subtalar Joint

• Osteokinematics:
  • Pronation: eversion and abduction.
  • Supination: inversion and adduction.
• Arthrokinematics in open chain (non-weight bearing):
  • Eversion: roll and glide in opposite directions.
  • Inversion: roll and glide in the same direction.
• Arthrokinematics in closed chain (weight bearing):
  • Tibia and talus move on the fixed calcaneus.

Transverse Tarsal Joint

• This joint connects the talus and navicular, and the calcaneus and cuboid.
• Osteokinematics:
  • Pronation: abduction and dorsiflexion.
  • Supination: adduction and plantarflexion.
• Arthrokinematics:
  • Roll and glide in the same direction.

Key Considerations

• The applied movements of pronation and supination are a combination of fundamental movements.
• The oblique axis of rotation at each joint influences these movements.
• The transverse tarsal joint allows for opposing directions of movement between the forefoot and rearfoot.
• The subtalar and transverse tarsal joints work in conjunction to control pronation and supination.