Bone
Metatarsals
Five long bones connecting the tarsus with the toes
High-yield
Injuries near the fifth-metatarsal base are not all the same. A tuberosity avulsion, a fracture at the base-to-shaft transition and a more distal stress fracture involve different anatomical zones.
Overview
The metatarsals form much of the forefoot framework. Numbered from the great-toe side outward, each has a proximal base, a shaft and a distal head that joins the corresponding toe.
Reference facts
- Bone type
- Five small long bones of the forefoot
- Key landmarks
- Proximal bases, elongated shafts and rounded distal heads; prominent tuberosity at the fifth-metatarsal base
- Articulations
- Tarsal bones proximally and proximal toe phalanges distally; several neighboring bases also articulate with one another
Clinical correlation
Repetitive loading can cause metatarsal stress fractures, often involving the second or third bone. A zone-two Jones fracture lies at the fifth metatarsal's metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction near the fourth-fifth intermetatarsal joint and may heal slowly.
Frequently asked questions
What type of bone are the metatarsals?
The metatarsals are a five small long bones of the forefoot bone.
What do the metatarsals articulate with?
Tarsal bones proximally and proximal toe phalanges distally; several neighboring bases also articulate with one another.
What are the key landmarks of the metatarsals?
Proximal bases, elongated shafts and rounded distal heads; prominent tuberosity at the fifth-metatarsal base.