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What Bones are the Phalanges in the Foot?

The phalanges are bones. They make up the five toes of the foot. Each toe has three phalanges, except the big toe, or hallux, which has two phalanges. The bones making up the foot are as follows: talus; calcaneus; navicular; cuboid; three cuneiforms; five metatarsals and 14 phalanges. That is a total of 26.

  1. Structure

    • The arrangement of the foot bones is similar to that of the hand. The phalanges of the foot and the hand are organized along the following principles: First row phalanges are closest to the body; second row phalanges are in the middle; third row (or ungual) phalanges are at the ends of the toes.

    Phalanges

    • The proximal phalanx corresponds to the first row. The medial phalanx is the middle bone and corresponds to the second row. The distal phalanx is the bone farthest away. It is also called the ungual because it has the toenail on it. The hallux (big toe) has only two bones, proximal and distal or ungual.

    Joints

    • The hallux (big toe) has one interphalangeal joint. This distal interphalangal joint (DIP) joins the proximal and distal phalanges. The second, third, fourth and fifth toes have two joints. These are the distal (DIP) and proximal (PIP) interphalangeal joints.

    Movement

    • The joints allow articulating movement of the support bones. The supporting phalanges and metatarsals move up and down and side to side in relation to the phalanges.

      The phalangeal movement and articulation are enabled by the joints. Phalangeal movements are supported by the metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joints. The first row phalanges (proximal) articulates with the MTP and its joints. The second phalangeal row (middle) articulates with the first row phalanges. The third row phalanges (distal, ungual) articulates with the second row. The ungual or distal phalanx of the big toe articulates with its proximal phalanx.

    Summary

    • There are 14 phalangeal bones of the foot. They are organized by proximal, medial and distal rows. Three bones in each toe, except the big toe which has two bones. Each toe has a distal end where the toe nail is. This distal end is also referred to as the ungual row. The phalanges are connected via interphalangeal joints. The joints enable articulating movement of the phalanges.

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