The transverse metatarsal ligament is a narrow band which runs across and connects together the heads of all the
metatarsal
The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the med ...
bones. It is blended anteriorly with the plantar (glenoid) ligaments of the
metatarsophalangeal
The metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP joints), also informally known as toe knuckles, are the joints between the metatarsal bones of the foot and the proximal bones (proximal phalanges) of the toes. They are condyloid joints, meaning that an ellipt ...
articulations.
Its plantar surface is concave where the
Flexor tendons
A flexor is a muscle that flexes a joint. In anatomy, flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend) is a joint movement that decreases the angle between the bones that converge at the joint. For example, one’s elbow joint flexes when one ...
run below it. Above it, the tendons of the
Interossei {{short description, Muscles between certain bones
Interossei refer to muscles between certain bones. There are many interossei in a human body. Specific interossei include:
On the hands
* Dorsal interossei muscles of the hand
* Palmar interosse ...
pass to their insertions.
Its homologue in the hand is the
transverse metacarpal ligament, which connects the
metacarpals
In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus form the intermediate part of the skeleton, skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist, which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpa ...
to each other.
Clinical significance
The
dorsal digital nerves of the foot may be compressed by the transverse metatarsal ligament.
This causes
Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma is a benign neuroma of an intermetatarsal plantar nerve, most commonly of the second and third intermetatarsal spaces (between the second/third and third/fourth metatarsal heads; the first is of the big toe), which results in t ...
, which causes foot
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...
.
See also
*
Deep transverse metacarpal ligament
The deep transverse metacarpal ligament (also called the deep transverse palmar ligament) is a narrow fibrous band which runs across the palmar surfaces of the heads of the second, third, fourth and fifth metacarpal bones, connecting them togethe ...
References
Ligaments of the lower limb
{{ligament-stub