Neurovasculature of the Foot

00:01 Now let's look at the relationship of these various neurovascular structures across the sole of the foot.

00:08 So here we can see some important structures entering the foot under the flexor retinaculum.

00:13 So here we can see tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus, flexor hallucis longus and the tibial nerve.

00:22 So we can see these entering the sole of the foot around the flexor retinaculum, which is holding them in place.

00:29 If we follow the tibial nerve then onto the sole of the foot, we see it quickly bifurcates into both the medial and the lateral plantar nerves.

00:38 So here we can see running on the medial surface, we have the medial plantar nerve, and then on the lateral surface, we have the lateral plantar nerve.

00:46 Coming off these, we have common plantar digital nerves, and these will then extend forward to help supply the muscles that go centrally within this compartment.

00:56 Laterally, we have a proper plantar digital nerve that heads towards the fifth digit, the little toe.

01:02 And here we can then see coming off these branches, proper plantar digital nerves that supply the rest of the digits on the sole of the foot.

01:10 Similarly, what happens on the medial surface is we have a medial proper plantar digital nerve running on the medial surface on the plantar aspect heading towards the first digit or the great toe.

01:24 The blood vessels follow a similar course, this time coming from the posterior tibial artery.

01:30 And here following the medial plantar nerve, we have the medial plantar artery.

01:35 Following the lateral plantar nerve, we have the lateral plantar artery.

01:39 These two form an anastomotic loop between the medial and lateral plantar arteries known as the deep plantar arch.

01:48 Coming off this arch and we have a series of plantar metatarsal arteries.

01:53 So these are arteries running off the deep plantar arch, they're heading forwards on the plantar surface running alongside the metatarsals.

02:03 So plantar metatarsal arteries.

02:06 Coming off these as they run alongside the phalanges of the digits, we have digital branches.

02:12 So we can see the complex nature of the arterial supply to the sole of the foot.

02:18 The connection between this plantar surface and the dorsal surface that goes through the interossei muscles are these perforating vessels and these will anastomose with the blood vessels that sit on the dorsum of the foot.

02:32 So there's lots of muscles within this region.

02:34 So please do make sure you are familiar with all the muscles and check whether you need to know all of the origins and insertions.

02:41 And also remember the distribution of the medial and lateral plantar nerves, not forgetting that deep fibular nerve that has a contribution.