Browse the corpus

The metatarsal bones are the bones of the forefoot that connect the distal aspects of the cuneiform (medial, intermediate and lateral) bones and cuboid bone to the base of the five phalanges of the foot. There are five metatarsal bones, numbered one to five from the hallux (great toe) to the small toe. The metatarsal bones are an essential structure for the origin and insertion of many muscles of the lower limb and foot and contribute to the proximal half of the metatarsophalangeal joints. Several pathologies involve the metatarsal bones, including fracture, dislocation, congenital and acquired abnormalities, as well as degenerative conditions that will be discussed in this paper.