Ligament · Foot

Dorsal cuneonavicular ligament

Ligamenta cuneonavicularia dorsalia

Three short bands spreading forward from the front face of the navicular, one onto each of the three cuneiforms, across the top of the instep. The navicular is the keystone of the inner arch and the cuneiforms are the wedges stacked in front of it; these ligaments are what lock that row onto the keystone's face. They permit only a few degrees of gliding, which is precisely what turns the midfoot into a rigid platform rather than a hinge. Anything that flattens the arch is resisted along this joint line before the load ever reaches the toes.