Ligament · Foot

Lateral phalangeosesamoid ligament

Runs forward from the outer sesamoid to the base of the first bone of the great toe — the front tie of the sesamoid complex. It is continuous with the plantar plate of the big toe joint, the thick fibrous pad that forms that joint's floor, so a pull on the toe is transmitted straight through to the sesamoid. That linkage is what makes the sesamoids slide forward as the toe bends upward, instead of staying fixed under the metatarsal head. Without it the two bones would sit still while the tendons and the joint moved over them.