24. Semi- mobile joints of the foot .joints of the toes
Covers the semi-mobile joints of the foot, starting with the intertarsal joints between the tarsal bones, listing each pairing such as the subtalar and calcaneocuboid joints and noting their strong short ligaments. It then describes the tarsometatarsal (Lisfranc) joints and their ligaments and role in the foot arches, before moving to the toe joints: the metatarsophalangeal joints with their ligaments and movements, and the proximal and distal interphalangeal hinge joints.
Topic 24 of 236 in the MU Pleven syllabus for Anatomy Bones and Muscles (Medicine, Year 2). The free AceMed note covers it in 3 sections, about 241 words (2 min of reading), with 15 flashcards.
In this note
Semi-mobile joints of the foot. Joints of the toes.
Semi-Mobile Joints of the Foot
Joints of the Toes
Semi-Mobile Joints of the Foot
These are joints in the foot that allow limited movement (not freely mobile like synovial, but not fixed like fibrous). They belong mostly to the amphiarthrosis group.
1. Joints between tarsal bones (Intertarsal joints)
Type: Plane synovial joints (some act semi-mobile due to strong ligaments).
Examples:
Talocalcaneal joint (subtalar joint) → between talus and calcaneus.
Talocalcaneonavicular joint → between talus, calcaneus, navicular.
Calcaneocuboid joint → between calcaneus and cuboid.
Cuneonavicular joints → between navicular and cuneiform bones.
Intercuneiform joints → between cuneiform bones.
Cuneocuboid joint → between lateral cuneiform and cuboid.
All these are strengthened by short, strong ligaments → allow slight gliding & rotation, but overall very stable.
2. Tarsometatarsal joints (Lisfranc’s joints)
Between distal row of tarsal bones (cuneiforms + cuboid) and bases of metatarsals.
