Bone · Ankle

Calcaneus

Calcaneus

The calcaneus is the heel bone — the largest bone in the foot and, for most people walking, the first thing to touch the ground. It juts backwards well behind the ankle joint, and that overhang is deliberate: it gives the calf a long lever arm to push the body forward through the Achilles tendon. It carries the talus on its upper surface, its underside is where the plantar fascia begins, and its front end helps build the arch.