Functional Anatomy of the Ankle
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Top Contributors - Ewa Jaraczewska, Jess Bell and Kim Jackson
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Understanding the anatomy of the ankle is essential for correct diagnosis and treatment of common ankle injuries. Chronic ankle pain, acute and chronic sprains, fractures, tears and inflammation may be a result of routine daily activities or professional and recreational sports. This article will address the complexity of the ankle joint and its osseous, soft tissue, neural and vascular components and how they relates to function.
Anatomy Basic Vocabulary[edit | edit source]
Axes: lines around which an object rotates. The rotation axis is a line that passes through the centre of mass. There are three axes of rotation: saggital passing from posterior to anterior, frontal passing from left to right, and vertical passing from inferior to superior. The rotation axes of foot joints are perpendicular to the cardinal planes; therefore, motions at these joints result in rotations within three planes. Example: supination involves inversion, internal rotation, and plantar flexion.
Bursae: reduces friction between the moving parts of the body joints. It is a fluid-filled sac. There are four types of bursae: adventitious, subcutaneous, synovial, and sub-muscular.
Capsule: one of the characteristics of the synovial joints. It is a fibrous connective tissue which forms a band that seals the joint space, provides passive and active stability and may even form articular surfaces for the joint.
Closed pack position: most of the area of joint contact between the two sides of the joint. In this position, joint stability increases. The closed pack position for interphalangeal joints is at full extension.
Degrees of freedom: the direction of joint movement or rotation, with six being a maximum, including three translations and three rotations.
Ligament: fibrous connective tissue that holds the bones together.
Open (loose) pack position: least amount of joint contact area where joint stability is reduced.
Planes of movement: describe how the body moves. Up and down movements (flexion/extension) occur in a saggital plane.Sideway movements (abduction/adduction) are done in the frontal plane. Movements in the transverse plane are rotational (internal and external rotation).
Ankle Structure[edit | edit source]
Bones and Articulations of the Ankle[edit | edit source]
Ankle Kinematics[edit | edit source]
Ankle Bursae[edit | edit source]
Ligaments of the Ankle[edit | edit source]
Muscles of the Ankle[edit | edit source]
Innervation of the Ankle[edit | edit source]
Vascular Supply of the Ankle[edit | edit source]
Clinical Relevance[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
- Aparisi Gómez MP, Aparisi F, Bartoloni A, Ferrando Fons MA, Battista G, Guglielmi G, Bazzocchi A. Anatomical variation in the ankle and foot: from incidental finding to inductor of pathology. Part II: midfooot and forefoot. Insights Imaging. 2019 Jul 31;10(1):69.
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