Plantar arteries !

The plantar arteries are branches of the posterior tibial artery that form an arch in the sole and supply the foot.

Official name: Medial plantar artery

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What it is

The medial and lateral plantar arteries, branches of the posterior tibial artery, and the arch they form in the sole.

What it does

Supply the sole, the small foot muscles and the heel, and connect with the arteries on top of the foot.

Key facts

Origin: Posterior tibial artery, dividing under flexor retinaculum and abductor hallucis
Branches: Medial plantar (smaller); lateral plantar forms deep plantar arch with plantar metatarsal arteries
Supplies: Muscles and skin of sole; toes via plantar digital arteries

Relations

Course: Medial: runs forward between the abductor hallucis and flexor digitorum brevis toward the big toe; lateral: crosses the sole obliquely between the flexor digitorum brevis and quadratus plantae to the base of the fifth metatarsal, then turns medially and deep as the plantar arch
Superficial: The plantar fascia and the first muscle layer: abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis and abductor digiti minimi
Deep: The arch rests on the metatarsal bases and the interossei

How to find it

Not palpable. The bedside check is the posterior tibial pulse just before the division, behind the medial malleolus; a handheld Doppler can follow the lateral plantar artery from there toward the base of the fifth metatarsal.

On imaging

Catheter angiography and CT angiography show the medial and lateral plantar arteries and the deep plantar arch, joined by the dorsalis pedis through the first intermetatarsal space. In diabetic foot disease, angiography shows which arteries still reach the foot and whether the arch is complete before revascularization. Plain radiographs often show calcified artery walls in diabetes.

Clinical notes

The medial plantar artery flap brings thick, hairless instep skin to rebuild the heel
Deep wounds and infections of the sole can erode the plantar arch and bleed heavily; it is hard to reach because it lies in the deepest layer
The sole and heel are posterior tibial territory: heel ulcers heal poorly when the posterior tibial artery and its calcaneal branches are blocked

Anatomical variants

The relative size of the two contributors to the plantar arch varies: a small lateral plantar artery is offset by a larger deep plantar branch of the dorsalis pedis, and the arch is sometimes incomplete
A superficial plantar arch, the counterpart of the superficial palmar arch of the hand, is rare (about 5%); the medial plantar artery usually ends in small superficial digital branches instead

Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

Where does the posterior tibial artery divide into the plantar arteries?

Under the flexor retinaculum (and abductor hallucis); each branch runs with the plantar nerve of the same name.

How is the deep plantar arch formed?

By the lateral plantar artery, completed medially by the deep plantar branch of the dorsalis pedis artery in the first intermetatarsal space.

Which flap based on a plantar artery is used to rebuild the heel?

The medial plantar artery flap, which brings thick, hairless instep skin.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

Its names

Official Latin (TA2): arteria plantaris medialis; arteria plantaris lateralis TA2 4734
Official Spanish (DeCS): Arterias plantares
English (TA2): Medial plantar artery
Also called: arteria plantaris tibialis

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Foot Arteries; Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): The Arteria Dorsalis Pedis (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain; Tratado de anatomía humana (9.ª ed.), tomo II, Angiología: aorta descendente, arterias ilíacas y arterias del miembro inferior.

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

Plantar arteries highlighted on the Durgical 3D model