Flexor hallucis longus muscle

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Flexor hallucis longus muscle
The mucous sheaths of the tendons around the ankle. Medial aspect. (Flexor hallucis longus visible at bottom center.)
Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. (Flexor hallucis longus visible at bottom center.)
Gray's subject #129 485
Origin: fibula, posterior aspect of upper 1/3
Insertion: base of distal phalanx of hallux
Blood: Peroneal artery (peroneal branch of the posterior tibial artery
Nerve: tibial nerve, S1 & S2 nerve roots
Action: flexes all joints of the big toe, plantar flexion of the ankle joint
Dorlands/Elsevier m_22/12549120

The Flexor hallucis longus muscle (FHL) is a muscle of the leg. It is one of the deep muscles of the posterior compartment of the leg. the other deep muscles of the leg are flexor digitorum longus and tibialis posterior. FHL is the largest and most powerful of these deep muscles.

The Flexor hallucis longus is situated on the fibular side of the leg. It arises from the inferior two-thirds of the posterior surface of the body of the fibula, with the exception of 2.5 cm. at its lowest part; from the lower part of the interosseous membrane; from an intermuscular septum between it and the Peronæi, laterally, and from the fascia covering the Tibialis posterior, medially.

The fibers pass obliquely downward and backward, and end in a tendon which occupies nearly the whole length of the posterior surface of the muscle.

This tendon lies in a groove which crosses the posterior surface of the lower end of the tibia, the posterior surface of the talus, and the under surface of the sustentaculum tali of the calcaneus; in the sole of the foot it runs forward between the two heads of the Flexor hallucis brevis, and is inserted into the base of the last phalanx of the great toe. The grooves on the talus and calcaneus, which contain the tendon of the muscle, are converted by tendinous fibers into distinct canals, lined by a mucous sheath.

As the tendon passes forward in the sole of the foot, it is situated above, and crosses from the lateral to the medial side of the tendon of the Flexor digitorum longus, to which it is connected by a fibrous slip.

[edit] Variations

Usually a slip runs to the Flexor digitorum and frequently an additional slip runs from the Flexor digitorum to the Flexor hallucis. Peroneocalcaneus internus, rare, origin below or outside the Flexor hallucis from the back of the fibula, passes over the sustentaculum tali with the Flexor hallucis and is inserted into the calcaneum.

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Muscles of the HeadNeckTrunkUpper limbLower limbLIST OF ALL MUSCLES

ILIAC REGION/HIP FLEXORS: psoas major | psoas minor | iliacus | (Gray's s127)

THIGH: anterior femoral | sartorius | quadriceps (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis) | articularis genu
medial femoral/adductor | gracilis | pectineus | adductor brevis | adductor longus | adductor magnus
gluteal region | gluteals (maximus, medius, minimus) | tensor fasciae latae
lateral rotator group | piriformis | obturator externus | obturator internus | inferior gemellus | superior gemellus | quadratus femoris
posterior femoral/hamstring | biceps femoris | semitendinosus, semimembranosus | (Gray's s128)

LEG: anterior crural | tibialis anterior | extensor hallucis longus | extensor digitorum longus | fibularis tertius
superficial posterior crural | calf (gastrocnemius, soleus) | plantaris
deep posterior crural | popliteus | flexor hallucis longus | flexor digitorum longus | tibialis posterior
lateral crural | fibularis longus | fibularis brevis | (Gray's s129)

FOOT: dorsal | extensor digitorum brevis | extensor hallucis brevis
plantar first layer | abductor hallucis | flexor digitorum brevis | abductor digiti minimi
plantar second layer | quadratus plantae | lumbrical muscle
plantar third layer | flexor hallucis brevis | adductor hallucis | flexor digiti minimi brevis
plantar fourth layer | dorsal interossei | plantar interossei | (Gray's s131)

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