The fourth metatarsal bone is a

long bone The long bones are those that are longer than they are wide. They are one of five types of bones: long, short, flat, irregular and sesamoid. Long bones, especially the femur and tibia, are subjected to most of the load during daily activities ...

in the foot. It is smaller in size than the

third metatarsal bone The third metatarsal bone is a long bone in the foot. It is the second longest metatarsal. The longest being the second metatarsal. The third metatarsal is analogous to the third metacarpal bone in the hand As the four other metatarsals bones it ...

and is the third longest (and smallest) of the five metatarsal bones. The fourth metatarsal is analogous to the

fourth metacarpal bone The fourth metacarpal bone (metacarpal bone of the ring finger) is shorter and smaller than the third. The base is small and quadrilateral; its superior surface presents two facets, a large one medially for articulation with the hamate, and a sm ...

in the hand As the four other metatarsals bones it can be divided into three parts; base, body and head. The base is the part closest to the ankle and the head is closest to the toes. The narrowed part in the middle is referred to as the body or shaft of the bone. The bone is somewhat flatten giving it two surfaces; the plantar (towards the sole of the foot) and the dorsal side (the area facing upwards while standing). These surfaces are rough for the attachment of

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal l ...

s. The bone is curved longitudinally, so as to be concave below, slightly convex above. The base or posterior extremity is wedge-shaped. The base presents an oblique

quadrilateral In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...

surface for articulation with the

cuboid In geometry, a cuboid is a hexahedron, a six-faced solid. Its faces are quadrilaterals. Cuboid means "like a cube", in the sense that by adjusting the length of the edges or the angles between edges and faces a cuboid can be transformed into a c ...

; a smooth facet on the medial side, divided by a ridge into an anterior portion for articulation with the third metatarsal, and a posterior portion for articulation with the third cuneiform; on the lateral side a single facet, for articulation with the fifth metatarsal. The head or

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

extremity articulates with the fourth proximal phalanx, the first bone in the fourth toe.

Muscle attachments

The third and fourth dorsal interossei muscles attaches to the fourth metatarsal bone. The third dorsal interossei from the medial side of the bone and the fourth dorsal interossei from the lateral side. The function of the muscle is to spread the toes. The second Plantar interossei muscle originates from the medial side of the base and shaft of the fourth metatarsal. The function of the muscle is to move the fourth toe medially and move the toes together. The horizontal head of the adductor hallucis also originates from the lateral side of the

metacarpophalangeal joint The metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) are situated between the metacarpal bones and the proximal phalanges of the fingers. These joints are of the condyloid kind, formed by the reception of the rounded heads of the metacarpal bones into shallow ...

and from the deep transverse metatarsal ligament, a narrow band which runs across and connects together the heads of all the metatarsal bones.

Additional images

File:Footx.jpg, X-ray of foot, showing phalangeal fracture File:Gray290.png, Skeleton of foot. Medial aspect. File:Gray360.png, Oblique section of left intertarsal and tarsometatarsal articulations, showing the synovial cavities. File:Foot bones - tarsus, metatarsus.jpg, Foot bones - tarsus, metatarsus File:Foot bones - metatarsus and phalanges.jpg, Foot bones - metatarsus and phalanges File:Metatarsus.jpg, Metatarsus

References

Bones of the lower limb Bones of the foot 4 {{Portal bar, Anatomy