The forefoot is the anterior aspect of the foot, composed of the five

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 me ...

bones, the fourteen phalanges and associated soft tissue structures. It is a common site of pathology in

podiatry Podiatry () or podiatric medicine () is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and leg. A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), or a podiatrist, is a healthcare ...

, and is the anatomic region involved in such conditions as

hallux valgus A bunion, also known as hallux valgus, is a deformity of the joint connecting the big toe to the foot. The big toe often bends towards the other toes and the joint becomes red and painful. The onset of bunions is typically gradual. Complicat ...

hallux rigidus Hallux rigidus or stiff big toe is Osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis and stiffness due to Osteophyte, bone spurs that affects the metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP) at the base of the hallux (big toe). Hallux flexus was initially described by ...

, and

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 th ...

, among others. In cases of severe deformity, such as in Charcot joints seen with diabetic neuropathy, the forefoot can be reconstructed by

arthroplasty Arthroplasty (literally " e-orming of joint") is an orthopedic surgical procedure where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is replaced, remodeled, or realigned by osteotomy or some other procedure. It is an elective procedure that i ...

References

Foot {{musculoskeletal-stub