The tibialis posterior muscle is the most central of all the

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element c ...

muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscle ...

s, and is located in the deep

posterior compartment of the leg The posterior compartment of the leg is one of the fascial compartments of the leg and is divided further into deep and superficial compartments. Structure Muscles Superficial posterior compartment Deep posterior compartment Blood ...

. It is the key stabilizing muscle of the

lower leg The human leg, in the general word sense, is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or gluteal region. However, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb ex ...

Structure

The tibialis posterior muscle originates on the inner posterior border of the

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...

laterally. It is also attached to the

interosseous membrane An interosseous membrane is a thick dense fibrous sheet of connective tissue that spans the space between two bones, forming a type of syndesmosis joint. Interosseous membranes in the human body: * Interosseous membrane of forearm The interosse ...

medially, which attaches to the tibia and fibula. The

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

of the tibialis posterior muscle (sometimes called the posterior tibial tendon) descends posterior to the

medial malleolus A malleolus is the bony prominence on each side of the human ankle. Each leg is supported by two bones, the tibia on the inner side (medial) of the leg and the fibula on the outer side (lateral) of the leg. The medial malleolus is the promine ...

. It terminates by dividing into plantar, main, and recurrent components. The main portion inserts into the tuberosity of the

navicular bone The navicular bone is a small bone found in the feet of most mammals. Human anatomy The navicular bone in humans is one of the tarsal bones, found in the foot. Its name derives from the human bone's resemblance to a small boat, caused by the ...

. The smaller portion inserts into the plantar surface of the

medial cuneiform There are three cuneiform ("wedge-shaped") bones in the human foot: * the first or medial cuneiform * the second or intermediate cuneiform, also known as the middle cuneiform * the third or lateral cuneiform They are located between the navicu ...

. The plantar portion inserts into the bases of the second, third and fourth

metatarsals 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 ...

, the intermediate and lateral cuneiforms and the cuboid. The recurrent portion inserts into the

sustentaculum tali 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. St ...

of the calcaneus. Blood is supplied to the muscle by the

posterior tibial artery The posterior tibial artery of the lower limb is an artery that carries blood to the posterior compartment of the leg and plantar surface of the foot. It branches from the popliteal artery via the tibial-fibular trunk. Structure The posterior ...

Nerve supply

The tibialis posterior muscle is supplied by the

tibial nerve The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus. Structure Popliteal fossa The tibial nerve is the larger terminal branch of the sciatic nerve with root valu ...

Function

The tibialis posterior muscle is a key muscle for stabilization of the lower leg. It also contracts to produce

inversion Inversion or inversions may refer to: Arts * , a French gay magazine (1924/1925) * ''Inversion'' (artwork), a 2005 temporary sculpture in Houston, Texas * Inversion (music), a term with various meanings in music theory and musical set theory * ...

of the foot, and assists in the

plantarflexion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

of the foot at the ankle. The tibialis posterior has a major role in supporting the medial arch of the foot. Dysfunction of the tibialis posterior, including rupture of the tibialis posterior tendon, can lead to

flat feet Flat feet (also called pes planus or fallen arches) is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. Sometimes children are born ...

in adults, as well as a

valgus deformity A valgus deformity is a condition in which the bone segment distal to a joint is angled outward, that is, angled laterally, away from the body's midline. The opposite deformation, where the twist or angulation is directed medially, toward the ...

due to unopposed eversion when

is lost.

Clinical significance

Injury to the distal

of the tibialis posterior muscle is rare. It may be caused during

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

. It usually presents with pain on the medial side of the

ankle The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint ...

. Injuries including dislocations and tears often require surgery.

Additional images

File:Gray259.png, Bones of the right leg. Posterior surface. File:Gray269.png, Bones of the right foot. Plantar surface. File:Gray357.png, Coronal section through right talocrural and talocalcaneal joints. File:Tibialis posterior.png, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Gray445.png, Muscles of the sole of the foot. Third layer. File:Gray551.png, The popliteal, posterior tibial, and peroneal arteries. File:Slide1ACA.JPG, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Slide2ACA.JPG, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Slide2ACCA.JPG, Muscles of the leg.Posterior view. File:Slide1ADA.JPG, Muscles of the sole of the foot. File:Slide3Bubu.JPG, Dorsum of Foot. Ankle joint. Deep dissection File:Slide2bubu.JPG, Dorsum of Foot. Ankle joint. Deep dissection. File:Slide2wewe.JPG, Ankle joint. Deep dissection. Medial view

References

External links

*
Diagram at washington.edu

Diagram at latrobe.edu.au
{{Authority control Calf muscles Muscles of the lower limb