Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus I: Muscular System: Alphabetical Listing of Muscles: F

Flexor Digitorum Brevis (Pedis)

Ronald A. Bergman, PhD
Adel K. Afifi, MD, MS
Ryosuke Miyauchi, MD
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

Macalister indicates that the flexor tendon for the little toe is often complex, being made up of:

1. A muscular band from below the sustentaculum tali;
2. A slip from the cuboid; and
3. A slip from the long flexor tendon. Macalister saw the perforating tendon for the little toe from accessorius alone.

Macalister (1875) reported the variations of this muscle as follows:

1. Absence of the little toe tendon (Wood), with no substitute;
2. With its place supplied by a small fusiform muscle from the outermost border of flexor perforans (Wood);
3. The substitute arising by two slender fusiform bellies, one from the long flexor tendon, and the other from the inner tubercle of the os calcis, deeper than the fibers of the flexor digitorum brevis;
4. A slip of perforans for the middle toe joined the perforatus at the metacarpophalangeal joint;
5. A long slip of the perforans tendon, joined the flexor brevis to the middle toe slip of flexor brevis;
6. The same from accessorius;
7. This muscle has been seen with only three tendons;
8. Or with five tendons, two to the second toe (Kelly);
9. Or with the little toe tendon not perforated;
10. Or lost in the anterior fascia of the toe;
11. The little toe short flexor has been seen by Brugnone, Henle, and others arising from the long flexor tendon;
12. Or it has been found separate, and arising by one head from the lateral intermuscular septum, and from the flexor accessorius.

Syn.: m. Flexor digitorum pedis brevis, Flexor digitorum communis brevis, Flexor digitorum sublimis brevis, Flexor digitorum perforatus brevis, Pediaeus internis.

References

Curnow J. (1873) Notes of some irregularities in muscles and nerves. J. Anat. Physiol. 7:304-309.

Henle, J. (1871) Handbuch der Muskellehre des Menschen, in Handbuch der systematischen Anatomie des Menschen. Verlag von Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, Braunschweig.

Kochi, K. and H. Adachi. (!887) On the flexor digitorum communis accessorius. Juzenkai Zasshi. 4:49-51. In Japanese.

Komiya, R. (1954) On the variation of the flexor digitorum brevis. Kaibogaku Zasshi 29:175. In Japanese.

Macalister, A. (1875) Additional observations on muscular anomalies in human anatomy (third series), with a catalogue of the principal muscular variations hitherto published. Trans. Roy. Irish Acad. Sci. 25:1-134.

Nathan, H. and H. Gloobe. (1974) Flexor digitorum brevis- anatomival variations. Anat. Anz. 135:295-301.

Nathaniel, D.A. (1954) A note on the variation of the flexor digitorum brevis. J. Anat. Soc. India 3:103-105.

Ouchi, H. (1953) On the variation of the muscles (M. sternocleidomastoidens, M. flexor digitorum brevis, M. quadratus plantae). Kaibogaku Zasshi. 28:Supple. Kanto 9-10. In Japanese.

Tamura, Y. and F. Takayama. (1953) On the anomalies of the flexor digitorum brevis. Kaibogaku Zasshi. 28:128-130. In Japanese.

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