Plantar cuboideonavicular ligament
Ligamentum cuboideonaviculare plantare
A small fibrous band in the sole of the midfoot that ties the underside of the navicular to the underside of the cuboid.
At a glance
- English
- Plantar cuboideonavicular ligament
- Latin (TA2)
- Ligamentum cuboideonaviculare plantare
- System
- Ligament
- Region
- Foot
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the plantar cuboideonavicular ligament
The plantar cuboideonavicular ligament, a short band on the underside of the midfoot, joins two tarsal bones that sit side by side just in front of the hindfoot: the navicular on the medial side and the cuboid on the lateral side. It runs more or less transversely, and slightly obliquely, from the plantar face of the navicular to the plantar face of the cuboid, close to the front of the transverse tarsal joint.
The navicular and cuboid often touch only at a small point, and in many feet there is no true joint between them; they are then held together by a fibrous union made of dorsal, plantar and interosseous bands. In other feet a small synovial facet is present, and the ligament then reinforces the capsule of that joint from below. Either way, the plantar band is the strongest of the three. It lies deep in the sole, under the cover of the long plantar ligament and the tendon of fibularis longus, which crosses the foot nearby, and above the intrinsic muscles of the deepest layer.
Its role is to bind the medial and lateral columns of the foot together at the level of the midfoot. The medial column runs through the talus, navicular and cuneiforms to the first three rays; the lateral column runs through the calcaneus and cuboid to the fourth and fifth rays. By linking the two, the ligament helps maintain the transverse arch of the foot and limits the bones from spreading apart under load, while the joint as a whole allows only slight gliding.
Isolated injury of this band is unusual. It may be involved in midfoot sprains and in fractures of the cuboid or navicular after twisting or crushing injuries.
Attachments and function
- Attaches from
- The plantar face of the navicular, towards its lateral side.
- Attaches to
- The plantar face of the cuboid, on its medial side.
- Function
- Binds the navicular and cuboid together, links the medial and lateral columns of the foot and helps maintain the transverse arch.
- Nerve supply
- Articular branches of the lateral plantar nerve.
- Blood supply
- Branches of the lateral plantar artery and the deep plantar arch.
Anthromica
See the plantar cuboideonavicular 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.
