There are three cuneiform ("wedge-shaped")

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

s in the

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

foot The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up o ...

: * the first or medial cuneiform * the second or intermediate cuneiform, also known as the middle cuneiform * the third or lateral cuneiform They are located between the

navicular bone The navicular bone is a small bone found in the feet of most mammals. Human anatomy The navicular bone in humans is one of the tarsus (skeleton), tarsal bones, found in the foot. Its name derives from the human bone's resemblance to a small ...

and the first,

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

and third

metatarsal bones The metatarsal bones or metatarsus (: metatarsi) are a group of five long bones in the midfoot, located between the tarsal bones (which form the heel and the ankle) and the phalanges ( toes). Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are ...

and are medial to the cuboid bone.

Structure

There are three cuneiform bones: # The medial cuneiform (also known as first cuneiform) is the largest of the cuneiforms. It is situated at the medial side of the foot, anterior to the

and posterior to the base of the first metatarsal. Lateral to it is the intermediate cuneiform. It articulates with four bones: the navicular, second cuneiform, and first and

metatarsal The metatarsal bones or metatarsus (: metatarsi) are a group of five long bones in the midfoot, located between the tarsal bones (which form the heel and the ankle) and the phalanges ( toes). Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are ...

s. The tibialis anterior and fibularis longus muscle inserts at the medial cuneiform bone. # The intermediate cuneiform (second cuneiform or middle cuneiform) is shaped like a wedge, the thin end pointing downwards. The intermediate cuneiform is situated between the other two cuneiform bones (the medial and lateral cuneiforms), and articulates with the navicular posteriorly, the second metatarsal anteriorly and with the other cuneiforms on either side. # The lateral cuneiform (also known as third cuneiform or external cuneiform) intermediate in size between the other two cuneiform bones, is also wedge-shaped, the base being uppermost. It occupies the center of the front row of the tarsal bones, between the intermediate cuneiform medially, the

cuboid In geometry, a cuboid is a hexahedron with quadrilateral faces, meaning it is a polyhedron with six Face (geometry), faces; it has eight Vertex (geometry), vertices and twelve Edge (geometry), edges. A ''rectangular cuboid'' (sometimes also calle ...

laterally, the navicular posteriorly and the third

in front. The tibialis posterior inserts at the lateral cuneiform, while the flexor hallucis brevis originates from it.

Muscle attachments

Injuries

* Lisfranc fracture – in which one or all of the

s are displaced from the tarsus *Cuneiform fracture - Due to the ligamentous support of the midfoot, isolated cuneiform fractures are rare

Additional images

Gray268.png, Bones of the right foot. Dorsal surface. Image:Gray269.png, Bones of the right foot. Plantar Surface. Image:Gray290.png, Skeleton of foot. Medial aspect. Image:Gray291.png, Skeleton of foot. Lateral aspect. Image:Gray360.png, Oblique section of left intertarsal and tarsometatarsal articulations, showing the synovial cavities. Image:Ospied-en.svg, Bones of foot File:Slide29DEN.JPG, Cuneiform. Superior view. File:Slide31DEN.JPG, Cuneiform. Superior view.

Other animals

References