Ligament · Foot

Plantar metatarsal ligaments

Ligamenta metatarsalia plantaria

The sole-side version of the same arrangement: short transverse bands binding the bases of the second to fifth metatarsals to one another. They lie deep in the sole, beneath the long plantar ligament and the tendons fanning out towards the toes, and they are heavier than their dorsal counterparts. Their pull holds the metatarsal bases packed together so the row behaves as one arch rather than five loose struts. As on the top of the foot, no plantar band joins the first metatarsal to the second — the great toe's ray is tied in by different means.