Extensor Hallucis Longus lives on the front (anterior) part of the lower leg, crossing the ankle and extending all the way to the end of the big toe.
Extensor: extends
Hallucis: referring to the big toe (aka 'toe #1')
Longus: there is most likely a shorter version of this muscle (aka 'brevis')
Extensor Hallucis Longus Muscle Attachments:
Origin: middle 1/3 of the anterior fibula and the middle 1/3 of the interosseous membrane
Insertion: distal phalanx of the big toe
(aka to the tip of the last bone)
Extensor Hallucis Longus Muscle Actions:
a) dorsiflexion of the foot at the ankle joint
b) extension of the big toe
a) dorsiflexion of the foot at the ankle joint
aka toes pointing up to the sky (& heel down towards ground)
b) big toe extension
its pretty much impossible for me to isolate just the big toe doing extension (without the other toes tagging along - a bit grainy - but can you see the tendon of extensor hallucis longus popping out?)
Tibialis Anterior is one of the well known lower leg muscles, maybe because it's
pretty obvious on most people :)
Tibialis: referring to the lower leg bone that the muscle runs along.
Anterior: lives on the front (aka "anterior") of the lower leg.
me activating Tibialis Anterior - it's muscle belly is right
under my finger see?
Tibialis Anterior Muscle Attachment Points
Origin:lateral tibial condyle & the proximal 2/3 of the tibia* AND the proximal 2/3 of the interosseus membrane (see pic below)
*the outside edge of the tibia (knee end aka proximal) right next to the fibula)
Insertion: 1st cuneiform & the first metatarsal
((aka just under the right side of your knee, travels down the tibia bone crossing at the front of the ankle, with its tendon inserting on the inside arch of your foot))
Tibialis Anterior Muscle Actions
a) dorsiflexion of the foot at the ankle joint
aka toes pointing up to the sky (& heel down towards ground)
do this 25x and feel your Tibialis Anterior BURN ;)
b) inversion of the foot at the @ the sub-talar joint:
'turning your ankle inwards'
Maintaining ankle range of motion, strength and balance between the muscles all around is so so important - so important that I made a video about it enjoy ! :
Last week we discussed brevis and today it's Extensor Digitorum Longus Extensor: performs the muscle action of "extension" (of the... Digitorum: digits - in this case the digits of the foot (aka toes) Longus: has a similar 'sister muscle' but is the longer of the two
-Lateral tibial condyle, (the outside edge of the tibia (knee end aka proximal) right next to the fibula)
-the proximal 2/3 of the tibia
-and the proximal 2/3 of the interosseus membrane)
Insertion: toes 2-5 ! (all the toes except for the big toe - #1)
Extensor Digitorum LONGUS Muscle ACTIONS:
a) dorsiflexion of the foot at the ankle joint (toes pointing UP as opposed to down, towards the floor)
b) extension of toes 2-5 at the MTP, PIP, & DIP joints*
extending the toes means to lift them - so if you were standing, toes would aim towards the sky :)
*MTP: Metatarsal-phalangeal joint
*PI : proximal inter-phalangeal joint
*DIP: distal interphalangeal joint See you next week! Tibialis Anterior :)
this muscle can be felt on the top of your foot - aka 'dorsal surface' close to the ankle - with its long skinny tendons extending to middle three toes.
dorsal surface of calcaneus refers to the 'top' (closer to ankle) whereas the plantar surface of the calcaneus would be the bottom of your heel.
Extensor Digitorum Muscle ACTION:
extension of toes 2-4 at the MTP*, PI* & DIP* joints
extending the toes means to lift them - so if you were standing, toes would aim towards the sky :)
*MTP: Metatarsal-phalangeal joint
*PI : proximal inter-phalangeal joint
*DIP: distal interphalangeal joint
me pointing at Extensor Digitorum muscle belly whilst extending toes
next week = sister muscle Extensor Digitorum Longus :)
Yes! Another Fibularis muscle! Fibularis referring to the fibula bone the muscles attach to.
Fibularis Tertius lives in anterior compartment of the lower leg (the front of the body) whereas Fibularis Longus and Brevis live in the lateral compartment.
Fibularis Tertius Muscle Attachments
ORIGIN: distal 1/3 of the anterior fibula and the distal 1/3 of the interosseous membrane
INSERTION: dorsal surface of the base of the 5th metatarsal
Fibularis Tertius is actually an extension of Extensor Digitorum longus ( a muscle we haven't covered yet!) - also of course in the anterior compartment of the lower leg/ankle. In fact, Fibularis Tertius may not even be present in some folk!
Fibularis Tertius Muscle Actions
a) DORSI-FLEXION of the foot at the ankle joint
Dorsiflexion is when your bring your foot UP (heel down -toes up)
Dorsi refers to the dorsal surface of your foot (aka the the top of you foot).
b) EVERSION of the foot at the sub-talar joint
TERTIUS comes from the latin word meaning "third" - because this muscle is the third 'fibularis' (aka Peronneal) muscle.
But when I hear Tertius all I can think about is.....
Fibularis Brevis is the sister muscle to Fibularis Longus and lives in the lateral compartment of the lower leg. Lateral meaning 'furthest away from the midline (center) of the body
- opposite of 'Medial'.
Fibularis: referring to the fibula (lower lateral leg bone)
Longus: if a muscle name includes the word longus - there is a good chance that there is a shorter version of this muscle.
Now would be a good time to mention that the fibularis muscles are also known as The Perroneal muscles - Perroneus Longs & Brevis - more of an old-school term ;) I prefer fibualris because these muscle run along side the fibula bone.
Fibularis Brevis Muscle Attachment Points
Origin: Distal 1/2 of the lateral fibula
(distal meaning the half of the fibula bone that is furthest away)
Insertion: Lateral surface of the base of the 5th metatarsal
(the 5th metatarsal is one of five long bones in your foot - it eventually turns into your pinky toe!)
The distal tendon of both brevis and longus extend down to the outside ankle (aka lateral) just behind the lateral malleolus.
Fibularis Brevis Muscle Actions
a) plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle joint
b) eversion of the foot at the ankle joint
a) Plantar-flexion aka "pump the breaks" - another way to plantar-flex would be 'heel lifts' (going from standing to balancing on your toes/balls of your feet)
b) Eversion - big toe down! pinky toe up !
This is a great exercise - the fibularis muscles are weak on most people and need to be strengthened!
Until next time! Where we'll be continuing down into the foot..
