The plantar metatarsal arteries (digital branches) are four in number, arising from the convexity of the plantar arch. They run forward between 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 me ...

bones and in contact with 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 ...

. They are located in the fourth layer of the foot. Each divides into a pair of plantar digital arteries which supply the four webs and the adjacent sides of the toes. Near their points of division each sends upward an anterior perforating branch to join the corresponding dorsal metatarsal artery. The first plantar metatarsal artery (arteria princeps hallucis) springs from the junction between the lateral plantar and deep plantar arteries and sends a digital branch to the medial side of the

first toe Toes are the digits (fingers) of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being '' digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being '' pl ...

. The digital branch for the lateral side of the fifth toe arise from the

lateral plantar artery The lateral plantar artery (external plantar artery), much larger than the medial, passes obliquely lateralward and forward to the base of the fifth metatarsal bone. It then turns medialward to the interval between the bases of the first and secon ...

near the base of the

fifth metatarsal bone The fifth metatarsal bone is a long bone in the foot, and is palpable along the distal outer edges of the feet. It is the second smallest of the five metatarsal bones. The fifth metatarsal is analogous to the fifth metacarpal bone in the hand. As ...

References

External links

* http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_17/17-3.HTM Arteries of the lower limb {{circulatory-stub