Medial plantar artery

Definition

It is one of the small arteries of the lower limb located at the sole of foot and provides its blood supply. Along with the medial plantar nerve and vein, it forms the medial neurovascular cord of the foot. Medial plantar artery is the smallest terminal branch of the posterior tibial artery. It courses at the medial aspect of the foot sole. It runs medial to the medial plantar nerve.

Origin

The medial plantar artery is the smallest terminal branch of the posterior tibial artery. The posterior tibial artery is the posterior branch of the popliteal artery. The popliteal artery, which is the continuation of the femoral artery, which is the continuation of external iliac artery ,which is one of the branches of the common iliac artery, which is a division of the abdominal aorta.

(Abdominal Aorta > Right / Left Common Iliac Artery > Right External Iliac Artery > Femoral Artery > Popliteal Artery > Posterior Tibial Artery > Medial Plantar Artery)

Arising

It arises deep to the flexor retinaculum of the foot, at the middle of way between the medial malleolus and the medial calcaneal tubercle.

Course and Relations

-At first it passes:

Deep to: the proximal end of the abductor hallucis muscle
Between: the flexor digitorum brevis muscle and the abductor hallucis muscle distally.
Medial to: medial plantar nerve

-Near to the 1st metatarsal base :

Its size diminished by giving muscular branches, is further reduced to a superficial stem. Then, it runs medially to reach the medial border of the hallux(first toe). At the hallux, it anastomoses with a branch of the first plantar metatarsal artery branches.

It supplies

Muscles

1.Flexor digitorum brevis muscle
2.Abductor hallucis muscle
3.Flexor accessorius muscle (also known as Quadratus plantae muscle)

Cutaneously, it provides the blood supply of the skin on the medial aspect of the foot sole by its superficial branch (the larger branch).
Also by passing through the flexor retinaculum, sometimes, it supplies the medial side of the heel.

Branches

1.Deep branch (or branches): which supplies mainly muscles of the great toe.

2.Superficial branch (the largest branch)

3.Superficial digital branches: which accompany the digital branches of the medial plantar nerve.
The most lateral superficial digital branches anastomose with the medial plantar metatarsal arteries.

Termination

It terminates joining the digital branch of the deep plantar arch, that supplies the medial border of the hallux (great toe).

Cadavers

Cadaver shows the medial plantar artery (medial side of foot)

Cadaver shows the medial plantar artery (Plantar side of foot)

References

1.Anne MR Agur, Arthur F Dalley, and Keith L. Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy 8th edition/ Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer / pages (776.FIGURE 7 .73.-779)

2. Byas Deb Ghosh‘s Human Anatomy for Students.copyright© 2013, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers.second edition.pages(349)

3. Susan Standring, Neel Anand, Rolfe Birch, Patricia Collins, Alan R Crossman, Michael Gleeson , Girish Jawaheer, Ariana L Smith, Jonathan D Spratt, Mark D Stringer, R Shane Tubbs, Richard Tunstall, Alan J Wein, Caroline B Wigley ‘s Gray's Anatomy The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. copyright © 2016, Elsevier Limited. Forty-first edition. Pages(1444-1446.Fig. 84.25-1414)

4. Adam W. M. Mitchell, Richard L. Drake, and Wayne Vogl’s Gray's Anatomy for Students. 4th edition/ Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. / pages (653,654)

5. J.A. Gosling, P.F. Harris, J.R. Humpherson, I. Whitmore and P.L.T. Willan ‘s Human Anatomy Color Atlas and Textbook.copyright© 2008, Elsevier Limited.5th edition .pages(256.Fig. 6.5)

6.Quadratus plantae by Derek W. Moore for orthobullets

https://www.orthobullets.com/anatomy/10095/quadratus-plantae

7.Medial plantar artery for anatomy.app

https://anatomy.app/encyclopedia/medial-plantar-artery