Spring Ligament

Spring Ligament

 Introduction

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament (also known as the spring ligament) is a ligament on the underside of the foot that connects the calcaneus with the navicular bone.

Structure

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament is a broad and thick band of fibers, which connects the anterior margin of the sustentaculum tali of the calcaneus to the plantar surface of the navicular.

This ligament not only serves to connect the calcaneus and navicular, but supports the head of the talus, forming part of the articular cavity in which it is received.

The dorsal surface of the ligament presents a fibrocartilaginous facet, lined by the synovial membrane, and upon this a portion of the head of the talus rests.

Its plantar surface is supported by the tendon of the tibialis posterior; its medial border is blended with the forepart of the deltoid ligament of the ankle-joint.

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament helps to maintain the medial longitudinal arch of the foot, and by providing support to the head of the talus, bears the major portion of the body weight.

Anatomy

The spring ligament fills the bony gap between the anterior part of the calcaneus and the navicular bone. Medially, the spring ligament is supported by the ante- nor fibers of the superficial deltoid ligament (tibiospning fibers) with which it blends . The posterior tibial tendon
runs superficial to the tibiospning fibers. The plantar expansion of the posterior tibial tendon provides some support to the inferior aspects of the spring ligament.
Laterally, the spring ligament is contiguous with the medial band of the bifurcate ligament, occasionally separated from it by a layer of fat . The bifurcate ligament is a Yshaped ligament joining the medial superior aspect of the anterior calcaneus to the neighboring aspects of the navicular bone and the cuboid bone. Avulsion injuries of the bifurcate ligament can result in a familiar and characteristic fracture of the superior aspect of the anterior process of the calcaneus. Plantan to the bifurcate ligament is the calcaneocuboid (short plantar) ligament.
The complex orientation of the spring ligament precludes its complete depiction in a single imaging plane. From an imaging perspective, the spring ligament can be conceptualized as consisting of two parts: a medial, vertical portion (continuous with the deltoid ligament) and a plantar, horizontal portion (contiguous with the bifurcate ligament and short plantar ligament).

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament (inferior or internal calcaneonavicular ligament; calcaneonavicular ligament; Spring ligament) is a broad and thick band of fibers, which connects the anterior margin of the sustentaculum tali of the calcaneus to the plantar surface of the navicular.
This ligament not only serves to connect the calcaneus and navicular, but supports the head of the talus, forming part of the articular cavity in which it is received.
The dorsal surface of the ligament presents a fibrocartilaginous facet, lined by the synovial membrane, and upon this a portion of the head of the talus rests.
Its plantar surface is supported by the tendon of the Tibialis posterior;
its medial border is blended with the forepart of the deltoid ligament of the ankle-joint.
The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament, by supporting the head of the talus, is principally concerned in maintaining the arch of the foot. When it yields, the head of the talus is pressed downward, medialward, and forward by the weight of the body, and the foot becomes flattened, expanded, and turned lateralward, and exhibits the condition known asflat-foot. This ligament contains a considerable amount of elastic fibers, so as to give elasticity to the arch and spring to the foot; hence it is sometimes called the "spring" ligament. It is supported, on its plantar surface, by the tendon of the Tibialis posterior, which spreads out at its insertion into a number of fasciculi, to be attached to most of the tarsal and metatarsal bones. This prevents undue stretching of the ligament, and is a protection against the occurrence of flat-foot; hence muscular weakness is, in most cases, the primary cause of the deformity.

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_calcaneonavicular_ligament

2. www.ajronline.org/doi/pdf/10.2214/ajr.161.6.8249733

3. https://www.imaios.com/en/e-Anatomy/Anatomical-Parts/Plantar-calcaneonavicular-ligament-Spring-ligament