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Calcaneus

The heel bone, the largest bone of the foot; the Achilles tendon attaches to its back.

BoneCalcaneus (heel bone)
RegionFoot

Find it

  1. Client prone with the feet over the end of the table or the ankles on a bolster.
  2. Cup the heel in your hand: the large bone you hold is the calcaneus.
  3. Follow the Achilles (calcaneal) tendon down the back of the leg to where it inserts on the back of the heel.
  4. On the sole, press into the heel pad to feel the calcaneal tuberosity, where the plantar fascia and short foot muscles begin.

Gastrocnemius and soleus insert on the back of the calcaneus through the Achilles tendon, with plantaris beside it. Underneath, the plantar fascia and several plantar intrinsic muscles (abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor digiti minimi and quadratus plantae) arise from the bone.

A bursa sits between the Achilles tendon and the upper part of the heel.

Muscles attaching or palpated here

  • Flexor hallucis longus — Deep muscle on the outer back of the leg that bends the big toe and gives the push-off in walking, running and rising onto the toes.
  • Gastrocnemius — Two-headed superficial calf muscle that runs from above the knee to the heel and points the foot and helps bend the knee.
  • Plantar intrinsic muscles — Group of small muscles in the sole of the foot, arranged in four layers, that move the toes and help hold up the arches.
  • Soleus — Broad, flat calf muscle lying under the gastrocnemius that points the foot and keeps the body from tipping forward when standing.
  • Tibialis posterior — The deepest muscle at the back of the leg; it turns the sole inwards, helps point the foot and is a major support for the inner arch.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Calcaneus
  2. Gray's Anatomy (1918), The Tarsus (Bartleby, archived)