The abductor digiti minimi (abductor minimi digiti, abductor digiti quinti) is a muscle which lies along the
lateral (outer) border of the
foot
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
,
and is in relation by its
medial
Medial may refer to:
Mathematics
* Medial magma, a mathematical identity in algebra Geometry
* Medial axis, in geometry the set of all points having more than one closest point on an object's boundary
* Medial graph, another graph that re ...
margin with the
lateral plantar artery,
vein and
nerves.
Its homolog in the arm is the
abductor digiti minimi muscle in the hand.
Origin and insertion
It arises, by a broad origin, from the lateral process of the tuberosity of the
calcaneus
In humans and many other primates, the calcaneus (; from the Latin ''calcaneus'' or ''calcaneum'', meaning heel) or heel bone is a bone of the tarsus of the foot which constitutes the heel. In some other animals, it is the point of the hock.
S ...
, from the under surface of the calcaneus between the two processes of the tuberosity, from the forepart of the medial process, from the plantar
aponeurosis
An aponeurosis (; plural: ''aponeuroses'') is a type or a variant of the deep fascia, in the form of a sheet of pearly-white fibrous tissue that attaches sheet-like muscles needing a wide area of attachment. Their primary function is to join musc ...
, and from the
intermuscular septum between it and the
flexor digitorum brevis.
Its tendon, after gliding over a smooth facet on the under surface of the base of the
fifth metatarsal bone, is inserted, with the
flexor digiti quinti brevis, into the fibular side of the base of the first
phalanx of the
fifth toe.
Innervation
The abductor digiti minimi is innervated by the
lateral plantar nerve, a branch of the
tibial nerve.
Function
Its function is
flexion and
abduction
Abduction may refer to:
Media
Film and television
* "Abduction" (''The Outer Limits''), a 2001 television episode
* " Abduction" (''Death Note'') a Japanese animation television series
* " Abductions" (''Totally Spies!''), a 2002 episode of an ...
of the
fifth (little) toe at the
metatarsophalangeal joint.
Clinical relevance
Due to its role in posture during all physical activity while in an upright position, the abductor digiti minimi is often the target of injury.
In case of
polydactyly it may insert to the sixth toe instead, if there is one.
Etymology
The Latin name abductor digiti minimi translates to ''abductor of the small digit'' while the alternative name abductor digiti quinti means ''abductor of fifth digit''.
Additional images
Image: Muscles in the human foot (seen from below).jpg, Human Cadaver
A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...
dissection
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...
of the muscles in the foot seen from below.
Image:Gray269.png, Bones of the right foot seen from below.
Image:Gray357.png, Coronal section through right talocrural and talocalcaneal joints.
References
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{{Authority control
Foot muscles
Muscles of the lower limb
Lower limb anatomy