The calcaneofibular ligament is a narrow, rounded cord, running from the tip of the
lateral 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 ...
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 ...
downward and slightly backward to a tubercle on the lateral surface 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.
...
. It is part of the
lateral collateral ligament, which opposes the hyperinversion of the
subtalar joint
In human anatomy, the subtalar joint, also known as the
talocalcaneal joint, is a joint of the foot. It occurs at the meeting point of the talus and the calcaneus.
The joint is classed structurally as a synovial joint, and functionally as a pla ...
, as in a common type of
ankle sprain
A sprained ankle, also known as a twisted ankle or rolled ankle, is an injury where sprain occurs on one or more ligaments of the ankle. It is the most common injury to occur in ball sports, such as basketball, volleyball, football, and racquet ...
.
It is covered by the tendons of the
fibularis longus
In human anatomy, the fibularis longus (also known as peroneus longus) is a superficial muscle in the lateral compartment of the leg. It acts to tilt the sole of the foot away from the midline of the body ( eversion) and to extend the foot downwar ...
and
brevis muscles.
Clinical significance
The calcaneofibular ligament is commonly
sprained 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 ...
in ankle injuries.
It may be injured individually, or in combination with other ligaments such as the
anterior talofibular ligament and the
posterior talofibular ligament
The posterior talofibular ligament is a ligament that connects the fibula to the talus bone. It runs almost horizontally from the malleolar fossa of the lateral malleolus
A malleolus is the bony prominence on each side of the human ankle.
...
.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
* —Calcaneofibular ligament injury
* ()
*
Ligaments of the lower limb
{{ligament-stub