Foot & Ankle

Our feet and ankles are being used everyday for various daily activities. Hence, injuries to the foot and ankle are very common.

The ankle is made up of 3 bones that meet at the ankle joint: the tibia (shinbone), fibula (smaller bone of the lower leg) and talus (small bone in between the tibia and fibula and the calcaneus). The ankle joint where these 3 bones meet are encased by a joint capsule, which contains synovial fluid. This synovial fluid is important as it allows for smooth movement of the joints. The ankle is surrounded by ligaments, which help to stabilise it.

The foot is a complex structure of the body, consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles. The bones can be categorised into 3 sections:

Forefoot

The forefoot consists of your toes (phalanges) and metatarsals

Midfoot

The midfoot consists of bones that make up the arch of your foot

Hindfoot

The hindfoot consists of the heel and ankle, where the talus and the calcaneus (heel bone) are found.

Muscles, ligaments and tendons in the foot help stabilise your foot and allow for complex movement and motions. As there are many bones in the foot, fractures can occur at many locations in the foot, such as toe fractures, metatarsal fractures or calcaneus fractures. Another type of fracture that can occur in your foot is a stress fracture, which develop due to stress overtime.