954 



THE VASCULAE SYSTEM. 



PLANTAR ARTERIES. 



(8) The medial and lateral plantar arteries are the terminal branches of the 

 posterior tibial artery. They arise, under cover of the origin of the ligamentum 

 laciniatum, midway between the tip of the medial malleolus and the most 

 prominent part of the medial side of the os calcis (Figs. 781, 782). 



Arteria Plantaris Medialis. The medial plantar artery is the smaller of the 

 two terminal branches of the posterior tibial artery. It passes forwards, along the 



medial side of the foot, 

 in the interval between 

 the abductor hallucis and 

 the flexor digitorum 

 brevis, to the head of the 

 first metatarsal bone, 

 where it terminates by 

 uniting with the plantar 

 digital branch of the 

 dorsalis pedis, -which is 

 distributed to the medial 

 side of the great toe. In 

 its course forwards it 

 gives off a superficial 

 branch, which ramifies 

 on the superficial sur- 

 face of the abductor hal- 

 lucis ; branches to the 

 adjacent muscles and 

 articulations, and to the 

 subjacent skin ; it also 

 gives three digital 

 branches which anasto- 



m ose, ftt the rootg Q f tfie 



three medial interdigital 

 clefts, with the medial 

 plantar metatarsal 

 arteries. Some of the 

 cutaneous branches of 

 the medial plantar artery 

 anastomose, round the 

 medial border of the foot, 

 with the medial cutane- 

 ous branches of the 

 dorsalis pedis artery. 



Arteria Plantaris 

 Lateralis. The lateral 

 plantar artery is the 

 larger of the two terminal 

 branches of the posterior tibial artery. It runs forwards and laterally, first between 

 the flexor digitorum brevis superficially and the quadratus plan tee deeply, and 

 then, in the interval between the flexor digitorum brevis and the abductor digiti 

 quinti, to the medial side of the base of the fifth metatarsal bone, where it turns 

 abruptly medially and, gaining a deeper plane, passes across the bases of the 

 metatarsal bones and the origins of the interossei, and above the oblique head 

 of the adductor of the great toe, to the lateral side of the base of the first meta- 

 tarsal bone, where it terminates by anastomosing with the dorsalis pedis artery. 

 The last part of the artery is convex forwards and forms the plantar arch, which 

 is completed by the profunda branch of the dorsalis pedis. 



Branches. Between its origin and the base of the fifth metatarsal the lateral 



Occasional calcanean 



branch of posterior 



tibial artery 



Posterior tibial artery 



Medial plantar 

 artery 



Lateral plantar 

 artery 



Flexor digitorum 

 longus tendon 



Flexor hallucis 

 longus tendon 



Flexor hallucis 

 brevis muscle 



Deep branch of 

 dorsalis pedis 



Medial calcanean 

 anch of lateral 

 lantar artery 

 ^g plantar 

 ligament 



Quadratus plant* 

 muscle 



Abductor digiti 

 quinti muscle 



Oblique head of 

 'adductor hallucis 



Plantar arch 



Metatarsal arteries 



Transverse 1 

 of adductor 

 hallucis 



FIG. 782. THE PLANTAR ARTERIES AND THEIR BRANCHES. 



