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Extensor digitorum longusMusculus extensor digitorum longus

Feather-shaped muscle on the outer front of the lower leg that lifts the four small toes and helps lift the foot.

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LatinMusculus extensor digitorum longus
Origin
  • Lateral condyle of the tibia
  • Upper three-quarters of the anterior surface of the fibula
  • Upper part of the interosseous membrane
  • Deep fascia and the septa between it and tibialis anterior and the fibular muscles
Insertion
  • Middle and distal phalanges of the 2nd–5th toes, via four tendons that spread into an extensor expansion over each toe
Action
  • Extends the 2nd–5th toes (lifts them)
  • Dorsiflexes the ankle (lifts the foot)
  • Fibularis tertius slip (when present): helps evert the foot (turn the sole outwards)
NerveDeep fibular (peroneal) nerve (L4–S1)
NameLatin: the 'long straightener of the digits (toes)'.

Palpation

  1. Client supine with the leg straight and the heel resting on the table.
  2. Find tibialis anterior beside the shin, then move your fingers about a finger's width outwards (laterally), between it and the fibular muscles.
  3. Feel a narrower strip of muscle running down the outer front of the leg.
  4. Ask the client to lift the four small toes against light resistance; the muscle firms and four fanned tendons stand out on the top of the foot.

Landmarks: Lateral malleolus

Extensor digitorum longus lies on the outer front of the leg, between Tibialis anterior on the inside and the fibular muscles on the outside. It is narrower than tibialis anterior, and the two are easy to confuse. Lifting only the toes is the quickest way to tell them apart: extensor digitorum longus firms, while tibialis anterior stays relatively quiet.

Its four tendons fan out over the top of the foot to the small toes. A fifth slip, called fibularis tertius, goes to the base of the fifth metatarsal and helps turn the sole outwards. Gray’s Anatomy (1918) describes fibularis tertius as part of this muscle, which is sometimes absent. People who wear tight shoes or spend long periods on their feet sometimes report tension across the front of the ankle and top of the foot.

It opposes Flexor digitorum longus, which curls the same toes down, and the calf muscles (Gastrocnemius, Soleus), which point the foot.

Source notes. Wikipedia gives no nerve root levels, so L4–S1 comes from Gray only.

Techniques

  • Effleurage — Long, gliding strokes with the whole palm that spread the medium, warm the tissue and link the other strokes together.
  • Circular friction — Small circles made with the finger or thumb pads that move the skin over the deeper tissue without sliding, to work a specific spot.
  • Compression — Pressing straight down into a muscle with the palm, fist or forearm, holding briefly, then releasing and moving on.
  • Stripping — A slow, deep, narrow glide along the length of a single muscle with the thumb, knuckle or elbow, pausing over tight bands on the way.

Works with

  • Tibialis anterior — Long muscle beside the shin bone that lifts the foot up (dorsiflexion) and turns the sole inwards (inversion).
  • Extensor hallucis longus — Thin muscle on the front of the lower leg, partly hidden by its neighbours, that lifts the big toe and helps lift the foot.

Opposes

  • Flexor digitorum longus — Deep muscle on the inner back of the leg that curls the four small toes and helps point the foot.
  • Gastrocnemius — Two-headed superficial calf muscle that runs from above the knee to the heel and points the foot and helps bend the knee.
  • Soleus — Broad, flat calf muscle lying under the gastrocnemius that points the foot and keeps the body from tipping forward when standing.

Used in routines

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Extensor digitorum longus muscle
  2. Wikipedia: Deep fibular nerve
  3. Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918), Myology 8c: The Muscles and Fasciae of the Leg (archived Bartleby page) (Public domain. Attachments agree with Wikipedia. Used for nerve roots (L4–S1); the Wikipedia article gives no root levels.)