The tibialis posterior muscle is the most central of all the

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

muscle Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...

s, and is located in the deep posterior compartment of the leg. It is the key stabilizing muscle of the

lower leg The leg is the entire lower limb (anatomy), limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or Gluteal muscles, buttock region. The major bones of the leg are the femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), and adjacent f ...

Posterior tibial tendonitis

Posterior tibial tendonitis is a condition that predominantly affects runners and active individuals. It involves inflammation or tearing of the posterior tibial tendon, which connects the calf muscle to the bones on the inside of the foot. It plays a vital role in supporting the arch and assisting in foot movement. This condition can cause pain, swelling, and potentially lead to flatfoot if left untreated.

Structure

The tibialis posterior muscle originates on the inner posterior border of the

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

laterally. It is also attached to the interosseous membrane medially, which attaches to the tibia and fibula. The

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

of the tibialis posterior muscle (sometimes called the posterior tibial tendon) descends posterior to the

medial malleolus A malleolus is the bony prominence on each side of the human ankle. Each leg is supported by two bones, the tibia on the inner side (medial) of the leg and the fibula on the outer side (lateral) of the leg. The medial malleolus is the promin ...

. It terminates by dividing into plantar, main, and recurrent components. The main portion inserts into the tuberosity of 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 ...

. The smaller portion inserts into the plantar surface of the medial cuneiform. The plantar portion inserts into the bases of the second, third and fourth metatarsals, the intermediate and lateral cuneiforms and 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 ...

. The recurrent portion inserts into the sustentaculum tali of the

calcaneus In humans and many other primates, the calcaneus (; from the Latin ''calcaneus'' or ''calcaneum'', meaning heel; : calcanei or calcanea) or heel bone is a bone of the Tarsus (skeleton), tarsus of the foot which constitutes the heel. In some other ...

. Blood is supplied to the muscle by the

posterior tibial artery The posterior tibial artery of the lower limb is an artery that carries blood to the posterior compartment of the leg and plantar surface of the foot. It branches from the popliteal artery via the tibial-fibular trunk. Structure The posteri ...

Nerve supply

The tibialis posterior muscle is supplied by the

tibial nerve The tibial nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve. The tibial nerve passes through the popliteal fossa to pass below the arch of soleus. Structure Popliteal fossa The tibial nerve is the larger terminal branch of the sciatic nerve with root val ...

Function

The tibialis posterior muscle is a key muscle for stabilization of the lower leg. It also contracts to produce inversion of the foot, and assists in the plantarflexion of the foot at the ankle. The tibialis posterior has a major role in supporting the medial arch of the foot. Dysfunction of the tibialis posterior, including rupture of the tibialis posterior tendon, can lead to

flat feet Flat feet, also called pes planus or fallen arches, is a Posture (psychology), postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole (foot), sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the gro ...

in adults, as well as a

valgus deformity A valgus deformity is a condition in which the bone segment distal to a joint is angled outward, that is, angled laterally, away from the body's midline. The opposite deformation, where the twist or angulation is directed medially, toward the ...

due to unopposed eversion when inversion is lost.

Clinical significance

Injury to the distal

of the tibialis posterior muscle is rare. It may be caused during

exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

. It usually presents with pain on the medial side of the

ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...

. Injuries including dislocations and tears often require surgery.

Additional images

File:Gray357.png, Coronal section through right talocrural and talocalcaneal joints. File:Tibialis posterior.png, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Gray551.png, The popliteal, posterior tibial, and peroneal arteries. File:Slide1ACA.JPG, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Slide2ACA.JPG, Muscles of the back of the leg. Deep layer. File:Slide2ACCA.JPG, Muscles of the leg. Posterior view. File:Slide1ADA.JPG, Muscles of the sole of the foot. File:Slide3Bubu.JPG, Dorsum of foot. Ankle joint. Deep dissection File:Slide2bubu.JPG, Dorsum of foot. Ankle joint. Deep dissection. File:Slide2wewe.JPG, Ankle joint. Deep dissection. Medial view

References

External links

*
Diagram at washington.edu

Diagram at latrobe.edu.au
{{Authority control Calf muscles Muscles of the lower limb