In the human body, the cuboid

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

is one of the seven tarsal bones of the foot.

Structure

The cuboid bone is the most lateral of the bones in the distal row of the tarsus. It is roughly cubical in shape, and presents a prominence in its inferior (or plantar) surface, the tuberosity of the cuboid. The bone provides a groove where the tendon of the

peroneus longus muscle 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 downw ...

passes to reach its insertion in the first metatarsal and

medial cuneiform bone 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 navic ...

Surfaces

The dorsal surface, directed upward and lateralward, is rough, for the attachment of ligaments. The plantar surface presents in front a deep groove, the peroneal sulcus, which runs obliquely forward and medialward; it lodges the tendon of the

peroneus 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 is bounded behind by a prominent ridge, to which the long plantar ligament is attached. The ridge ends laterally in an eminence, the tuberosity, the surface of which presents an oval facet; on this facet glides the sesamoid bone or cartilage frequently found in the tendon of the peroneus longus. The surface of bone behind the groove is rough, for the attachment of the plantar

calcaneocuboid ligament The calcaneocuboid ligament is a fibrous band that connects the superior surface of the calcaneus to the dorsal surface of the cuboid bone In the human body, the cuboid bone is one of the seven tarsal bones of the foot. Structure The cuboid bo ...

, a few fibers of the

flexor hallucis brevis A flexor is a muscle that flexes a joint. In anatomy, flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend) is a joint movement that decreases the angle between the bones that converge at the joint. For example, one’s elbow joint flexes when one ...

, and a fasciculus from the tendon of the

tibialis posterior The tibialis posterior muscle is the most central of all the leg muscles, and is located in the deep posterior compartment of the leg. It is the key stabilizing muscle of the lower leg. Structure The tibialis posterior muscle originates on the ...

. The lateral surface presents a deep notch formed by the commencement of the peroneal sulcus. The posterior surface is smooth, triangular, and concavo-convex, for articulation with the anterior surface of the calcaneus (the

calcaneocuboid joint The calcaneocuboid joint is the joint between the calcaneus and the cuboid bone. Structure The calcaneocuboid joint is a type of saddle joint between the calcaneus and the cuboid bone. Ligaments There are five ligaments connecting the calcan ...

); its infero-medial angle projects backward as a process which underlies and supports the anterior end of the calcaneus. The anterior surface, of smaller size, but also irregularly triangular, is divided by a vertical ridge into two facets, forming the fourth and fifth

tarsometatarsal joints The tarsometatarsal joints (Lisfranc joints) are arthrodial joints in the foot. The tarsometatarsal joints involve the first, second and third cuneiform bones, the cuboid bone and the metatarsal bones. The eponym of Lisfranc joint is 18th-19th c ...

: the medial facet, quadrilateral in form, articulates with the fourth metatarsal; the lateral, larger and more triangular, articulates with the fifth. The medial surface is broad, irregularly quadrilateral, and presents at its middle and upper part a smooth oval facet, for articulation with the third cuneiform; and behind this (occasionally) a smaller facet, for articulation with 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 th ...

; it is rough in the rest of its extent, for the attachment of strong interosseous ligaments.

Muscle attachments

Only one muscle is attached to the cuboid bone; the

. The tibialis posterior inserts to the under surface of the cuboid bone. While the flexor hallucis brevis arises, by a pointed tendinous process, from the medial part of the under surface of the cuboid bone, from the contiguous portion of the

lateral cuneiform bone 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 navic ...

, and from the prolongation of the tendon of the tibialis posterior.

Clinical significance

In a condition known as

cuboid syndrome Cuboid syndrome or cuboid subluxation describes a condition that results from subtle injury to the calcaneocuboid joint and ligaments in the vicinity of the cuboid bone, one of seven tarsal bones of the human foot. This condition often manifests ...

, the cuboid can be subluxated downward causing a swollen kind of ache along the central portion of the lateral border of the foot.

References

{{Authority control Bones of the lower limb Bones of the foot Tarsal bones

Structure

Surfaces

Muscle attachments

Clinical significance

See also

References