How do our toes, such a small part of our bodies, withstand our body weight with full stability without breaking?
Our feet have a number of features that help them serve as a stable base for the rest of the body. Our feet have three arches: the front arch, inner longitudinal arch, and outer longitudinal arch [3]. The inner and outer arches are connected by the deltoid ligament, which provides stability and protects the joints [3]. Additionally, our feet have scores of muscles and tendons that provide stability [1, 2]. The extrinsic muscles and tendons start in the lower leg and wrap around the ankle in various ways before attaching to some part of the foot [2]. They form a kind of sock that joins the leg to the foot and enables the foot to move in several directions [2]. The intrinsic muscles start and end in the foot [2]. Most of them are arranged in several layers across the sole of the foot to form its graceful, lengthwise arch [2].
There are three main reasons why our toes are able to withstand body weight without breaking. The arch functions as a spring because of the elastic properties of ligaments and tendons which support the arch and link the joints [1, 2]. Weight is transmitted anteriorly and posteriorly through the arch [1, 2]. Posterior transmission of weight passes through the calcaneus bone to the ground [1, 2]. Anterior transmission of weight passes through the base of the great toe medially and the base of 4 toes on the lateral side [1]. Most of the weight in standing position is transmitted to the ground from the great toe and the calcaneus bone [1]. The arch absorbs the shock and compresses when our feet hit the ground [2, 3]. The tendons and ligaments in the arch can store elastic energy [2]. This energy is used in the second stage as the arch recoils [2]. Overall, the toes are able to support our body weight with full stability due to the arches of the foot which work with other bones, ligaments, and tendons to produce a spring-like propulsion while we are walking or running [2, 3, 4]. 