Phalanges of the foot

The foot phalanges follow the same plan as those of the hand (base, shaft, head) but are much shorter, especially the middle and distal phalanges of the lesser toes, which may be fused in the little toe. The hallux has only a proximal and a distal phalanx; they are large and robust for the push-off phase of gait. The toes articulate at the metatarsophalangeal (condyloid) and interphalangeal (hinge) joints, and receive the tendons of the long and short flexors and extensors (flexor digitorum longus to the distal phalanges, brevis to the middle phalanges; extensor hallucis longus to the distal phalanx of the hallux).

The toes, especially the hallux, help balance and stabilise the body during standing and actively press against the ground in late stance (windlass mechanism tensing the plantar aponeurosis).