Bone · Foot

Phalanges of the foot

Phalanges pedis

The phalanges of the foot are the toe bones — three in each of the lesser toes and two in the big toe. They grip and steady the foot in standing, and at the end of every step the toes bend back and the whole body rolls off over them, the big toe last. Because that roll-off is the final push of walking, stiffness in the big toe changes how the ankle, knee and hip move above it.