The innervation of the joints of the foot.

Abstract

AbstractThe nerve supply of the ankle joint and of the joints of the foot was studied in dissections of fetal and adult feet and in serial sections of fetal feet stained with silver.The ankle joint was supplied by the tibial, sural, deep peroneal, and saphenous nerves, and by the accessory deep peroneal nerve when present.The tarsal joints were supplied on their plantar aspects by the medial or lateral plantar nerves, and on their dorsal aspects chiefly by the deep peroneal nerve. The joint between the lateral and intermediate cuneiform received branches from the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve also. The lateral dorsal cutaneous nerve and the accessory deep peroneal nerve when present provided additional branches to the subtalar and calcaneocuboid joints.The tarsometatarsal joints were supplied on their plantar aspects by the medial or lateral plantar nerves. Most of them were supplied on their dorsal aspects by the deep peroneal nerve, but the cuboid‐metatarsal joints received their supply from the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve. The intermetatarsal joints had a similar but sparser supply. The joint between the fourth and fifth metatarsal received branches from the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve.The plantar digital nerves provided the main supply to the metatarsophalangeal joints. The dorsal aspect of the first metatarsophalangeal joint was supplied by the deep peroneal and the medial dorsal cutaneous nerves, of the second metatarsophalangeal joint by the deep peroneal nerve, and of the fourth and fifth metatarsophalangeal joints by the lateral dorsal cutaneous nerve. The interphalangeal joints did not receive articular branches from the dorsal digital nerves, except in the case of the interphalangeal joint of the big toe, which was supplied by the deep peroneal and the medial dorsal cutaneous nerves.