Dorsal metatarsal ligaments
Ligamenta metatarsea dorsalia
Short transverse bands on the top of the forefoot that join the bases of neighbouring metatarsal bones.
At a glance
- English
- Dorsal metatarsal ligaments
- Latin (TA2)
- Ligamenta metatarsea dorsalia
- System
- Ligament
- Region
- Foot
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the dorsal metatarsal ligaments
The bases of the metatarsal bones are held to one another by three sets of ligaments: dorsal, plantar and interosseous. The dorsal metatarsal ligaments are the upper set. Each runs transversely across the dorsum from the base of one metatarsal to the base of the next, binding the second to the third, the third to the fourth and the fourth to the fifth. The first metatarsal usually has no such ligament linking it to the second, which lets the first ray move more freely.
The ligaments cover the intermetatarsal joints, small plane synovial joints between the sides of the bases. These joint cavities are continuous with those of the tarsometatarsal joints just behind, and the dorsal metatarsal ligaments blend with the dorsal tarsometatarsal ligaments that tie the bases to the cuneiforms and cuboid. Deep to them lie the interosseous ligaments, which form the strongest bond, and on the sole the plantar metatarsal ligaments complete the set. At the other end of the bones the heads are linked by the deep transverse metatarsal ligament.
Together these bands keep the bases in a firm arch across the forefoot, permit only small gliding movements, and help the forefoot spread load during standing and push-off. The tendons of extensor digitorum longus and extensor digitorum brevis, and the dorsalis pedis and arcuate arteries, cross over them.
The ligaments are injured in forefoot and midfoot sprains, most importantly in the Lisfranc injury complex, where the tarsometatarsal joint line is disrupted. Subtle widening between the metatarsal bases on weight-bearing films can be the only sign. Untreated instability tends to cause midfoot pain, flattening of the arch and later arthritis.
Attachments and function
- Attaches from
- Dorsal surface of the base of each of the second to fourth metatarsals.
- Attaches to
- Dorsal surface of the base of the adjacent metatarsal, from the third to the fifth.
- Function
- Bind the metatarsal bases together, limit gliding at the intermetatarsal joints and help maintain the transverse arch.
- Nerve supply
- Twigs of the deep fibular nerve.
- Blood supply
- Branches of the arcuate artery and the dorsal metatarsal arteries.
Anthromica
See the dorsal metatarsal ligaments 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.
