Anterior talocalcaneal ligament
Ligamentum talocalcaneum anterius
A short band in the foot that ties the talar neck to the calcaneus across the sinus tarsi.
At a glance
- English
- Anterior talocalcaneal ligament
- Latin (TA2)
- Ligamentum talocalcaneum anterius
- System
- Ligament
- Region
- Foot
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the anterior talocalcaneal ligament
The talus sits on the calcaneus at two separate joints: the subtalar joint behind and the talocalcaneonavicular joint in front. Between them runs a tunnel, the tarsal canal, which opens on the outer side of the foot as a funnel-shaped space called the sinus tarsi. Several ligaments cross this space, and the anterior talocalcaneal ligament, also known as the anterior calcaneo-astragaloid or anterior interosseous ligament, is one of them.
It is a short, flat band. Above, it attaches to the talar neck on its front and outer aspect. Below, it fixes to the upper surface of the calcaneus in the floor of the sinus tarsi. Its position puts it just behind the talocalcaneonavicular joint, and it forms the back boundary of that joint's cavity, separating it from the posterior subtalar joint.
It works together with the interosseous talocalcaneal ligament, which lies deeper in the tarsal canal, and with the cervical ligament further out at the lateral mouth of the sinus. These bands are the main direct ties between talus and calcaneus. They limit the calcaneus rolling in under the talus (inversion) and steady the talus during standing and walking, while still allowing the gliding and twisting that let the foot adapt to uneven ground.
The sinus tarsi contains fat, vessels and nerve endings as well as these ligaments. After an inversion sprain, damage to them can leave a persistent ache over the outer side of the foot just in front of the lateral malleolus, the so-called sinus tarsi syndrome, and a feeling that the hindfoot is unstable.
Attachments and function
- Attaches from
- The talar neck, on its anterior and lateral aspect.
- Attaches to
- The upper surface of the calcaneus in the floor of the sinus tarsi.
- Function
- Binds the talus to the calcaneus, limits inversion at the subtalar region and forms the back wall of the talocalcaneonavicular joint.
- Nerve supply
- Twigs of the deep fibular nerve reaching the sinus tarsi.
- Blood supply
- Branches of the artery of the sinus tarsi, from the lateral tarsal and fibular arteries.
Anthromica
See the anterior talocalcaneal ligament where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
