Bone · Foot

Metatarsal bones

Ossa metatarsi

The metatarsals are the five long bones of the forefoot, running from the midfoot out to the base of each toe. Their heads make the ball of the foot and spread the load across it, and their shafts are the front pillars of the arches. The first, behind the big toe, is the shortest and thickest and takes the most force at push-off; the fifth has a prominent base on the outer edge of the foot — easy to feel, and where the peroneus brevis inserts.