Anatomia clinica del sistema articolare del piede

Abstract

From a semantic point of view the word “ankle” and “ankle region” are not synonyms as “ankle” identifies all the components of the ankle joint while “ankle region” identifies the ankle joint as well as every structures in the region, form the surface level to the skeletal one. The articular system of the foot is formed by thirthyfour synovial joints, seventeen of which have complementary curvilinear articular surface, the remaning seventeen having plane joints. The rounded surface joints are: the talonavicular joint (a spheroidal joint that is part of the transverse tarsal joint), the “anatomical” subtalar joint ( a saddle joint), five ellipsoid (or condylar) joints and ten, ankle and interphalangeal joints are cylindrical joints. The plane synovial joints have some linkable fibrous elements (interosseous ligaments), so they are classified as amphiartrosis. On a systemic and clinical anatomic level, the articles focuses on: the ankle joint and the ribbon- like thicknenings in the deep fascia of the leg (the so called retinacula) which anchors the tendons (heading to the foot) of the leg muscles to the anatomical pulley represented by the skeletal plane; the subtalar joint, the transverse tarsal joint (or Chopart’s joint) other intertarsal joints, the tarso- metatarsal joints (or Lisfranc’s joint) the intemetatarsal joints, the metatarsophalangeal and interpha- langeal joints and the plantar, dorsal and interosseous tarsal ligaments. From a clinical anatomy point of view, the transverse tarsal joint (Chopart’s joint) and the tarso- metatarsal joints (Lisfranc’s joint) are quite interesting because the easily permit the distinction between the hindfoot and the midfoot (Chopart’s joint) and between the midfoot and the forefoot (Lisfranc’s joint) through palpable landmarks along the medial and the lateral border of the foot