Broken Foot

Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Gallery of Skin Problems and Image Collection

• Broken Foot Overview
• Broken Foot Foot Causes
• Broken Foot Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Broken Foot Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Multimedia
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Broken Foot Overview

Broken bones (also called fractures) in the foot are very common. Our feet are very vulnerable to slipping and twisting. Our feet and toes lead us around when we walk and are on the receiving end of dropped objects. About one out of every 10 broken bones occurs in the foot.

The Anatomy of the Foot

• The human foot has 26 bones.
  
  
• Commonly, doctors divide the foot into three parts: the hindfoot, the midfoot, and the forefoot.
  
  
  • There are two bones in the hindfoot. These are the talus, which is where the foot attaches to the leg, and the calcaneus, which forms the heel.
    
    
  • Five smaller bones called the navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiform bones make up the midfoot.
    
    
  • The long part of the foot is called the forefoot and contains 19 bones. There is a metatarsal for each of the five toes; the big toe is made up of two phalanges, and the other toes each have three phalanges.
    
    
  • In addition, the foot sometimes has small pebble-like bones called sesamoid bones. These bones do not perform any necessary function and are often called accessory bones.