What are plantar flexors?
Plantar flexion is the movement that allows you to press the gas pedal of your car. It also allows ballet dancers to stand on their toes. The term plantar flexion refers to the movement of the foot in a downward motion away from the body.
What does it mean to flex foot?
Plantar flexion refers to the movement of the foot when it is bent at the ankle away from the body, accomplished by flexing muscles in the calf, ankle, and foot.
What is a toe flexor?
The major extrinsic flexors of the toes are the flexor hallucis longus and the flexor digitorum longus, which flex the great toe and the lesser toes, respectively. These muscles originate in the calf and insert on the distal phalanges; they are most active during terminal stance.
What are the flexors of the ankle?
Introduction. The human ankle plantar flexors, consisting primarily of the soleus (SO), medial gastrocnemius (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius muscles, play an indispensable role in running.
What are the 5 plantar flexors of the foot?
The tibial nerve (L4–S2) supplies innervation to (1) the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (the main plantar flexors of the foot); (2) the tibialis posterior (plantar flexion and inversion); (3) the flexor digitorum longus (plantar flexor and toe flexor); (4) the flexor hallucis longus (plantar flexor and great toe …
What causes poor plantar flexion?
Ankle injuries, including sprains and fractures, are one of the most common causes of plantar flexion problems. These can happen in sports where you have to change direction very quickly — such as basketball — or in activities that involve jumping.
What is an example of dorsiflexion?
Dorsiflexion is where the toes are brought closer to the shin. This decreases the angle between the dorsum of the foot and the leg. For example, when walking on the heels the ankle is described as being in dorsiflexion.
Which way is dorsiflexion?
upward
Dorsiflexion is the action of raising the foot upwards towards the shin. It means the flexion of the foot in the dorsal, or upward, direction.
How do you treat flexor hallucis tendonitis?
Treatment of tenosynovitis of the FHL involves resting the area and reducing the inflammation with ice and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. Physical therapy can also help reduce inflammation with stretching, strengthening, massage, ultrasound and other modalities.
What are the flexor tendons of foot?
What are the flexor tendons? The tendons which bend the toes originate from two muscles of the lower leg; the Flexor digitorum longus and the Flexor hallucis longus muscles. They run down the inside of the ankle and under the foot to the toes and are known as the flexor tendons.
What are the plantar flexors of the foot?
The plantar flexors are the flexor hallucis longus and brevis (great toe), the flexor digitorum longus (the lateral four toes at the DIP joints), and the flexor digitorum brevis (the lateral four toes at the PIP joints).
Why is it called plantar flexion?
Plantar comes from the Latin ‘planta,’ which means sole and refers to the sole of the foot. Flexion comes from the Latin ‘flectere,’ which means to bend, and refers to a movement that decreases the angle between two body parts. It involves stretching the foot at the ankle and contracting the shin.