Joint · Ankle

Talocrural joint

Articulatio talocruralis

The ankle proper — the hinge where the tibia and fibula grip the talus like a wrench around a nut. That bracket is called the mortise, and the lower ends of the two leg bones are bound together to form it. It is a genuine hinge: it points the foot down and pulls it up, and that is essentially all it does. Side-to-side movement of the foot happens at the joint below it, not here — a distinction that matters, because the two are commonly confused.