Atlas of Human Anatomy in Cross Section: Section 7. Lower Limb

Plate 7.33

Ronald A. Bergman, Ph.D., Adel K. Afifi, M.D., Jean J. Jew, M.D., and Paul C. Reimann, B.S.
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This section passes through the calcaneus (8, 18); the cuboid (24); navicular (5); the medial (first) (2), intermediate (second) (31), and lateral (third) (28) cuneiforms; and the second metatarsal (30). It cuts the cuneocuboid (25), plantar cuboideonavicular (25), interosseous talocalcaneal (21), plantar calcaneonavicular ("spring") (7), and medial (deltoid) (6) ligaments.

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament (7) is a thick, dense plate of fibroelastic tissue. It extends from the sustentaculum tall and the distal surface of the calcaneus to the whole width of the inferior surface of the navicular bone. Medially, it blends with the anterior part of the medial ligament of the ankle joint and, laterally, with the plantar margin of the calcaneonavicular part of the bifurcate ligament. It is thickest at its medial margin (4 to 5 mm). In contact with the inferior surface of the ligament is the tendon of tibialis posterior muscle, supporting the head of the talus and thereby augmenting a function of the ligament. Because it is fibroelastic, the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament is also known as the "spring" ligament.

The plantar cuboideonavicular ligament (25) is a well-defined band of connective tissue that extends laterally from the plantar surface of the navicular to the depression on the medial surface of the cuboid, and slightly onto its plantar surface.

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