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# Plantaris tendon

The plantaris tendon is a long, thin tendon running down the calf to the heel, beside the Achilles tendon.

Official name: Tendon of plantaris

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## What it is

A long, thin tendon running from a small muscle behind the knee down the calf to the heel, beside the Achilles tendon.

## What it does

Helps the calf a little; it can be used as a small graft.

## Key points

- In an Achilles tendon rupture an intact [plantaris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/plantaris-muscle/) can be felt as a thin cord; the Thompson test still shows no foot movement
- It can lie tight against the medial side of the Achilles tendon and contribute to some midportion Achilles tendinopathy; removing it helps in selected cases
- Long, thin and expendable, it is a classic free tendon graft, but it is absent in some people
- Sudden calf pain ('tennis leg') was once blamed on plantaris rupture; most cases are tears of the medial gastrocnemius, a minority of the plantaris

## Key facts

**Attaches**
Long thin tendon between gastrocnemius and soleus, then along the medial side of the Achilles tendon to the posterior calcaneus (or blending with the Achilles); muscle absent in about 7–20%

**Function**
Weak helper of plantarflexion and knee flexion; often harvested as a free tendon graft; it may stay intact in an Achilles rupture and be mistaken for the Achilles

**Tight in**
Ankle dorsiflexion with the knee extended

## Relations

**Course**
From a small belly behind the lateral femoral condyle, the tendon runs obliquely down and inward between the gastrocnemius and the [soleus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/soleus-muscle/), then along the medial edge of the [Achilles tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/calcaneal-tendon/) to the [calcaneus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/calcaneus/)

**Superficial**
Gastrocnemius, mainly its medial head

**Deep**
Soleus

**Lateral**
Achilles tendon, in the lower calf

## How to find it

Usually not felt; at surgery it is found as a thin, flat tendon along the medial border of the Achilles tendon and traced upward between the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

## Examination

- Thompson (calf squeeze) test, prone: squeezing the calf normally points the foot down; no movement means an Achilles rupture even when the plantaris is intact

## On imaging

Ultrasound shows it as a small flat tendon at the medial border of the Achilles tendon; in calf strains it helps tell a plantaris tear from a medial gastrocnemius tear or a venous clot.

## Clinical notes

- Harvested through a small incision at the medial heel with a tendon stripper, for ligament reconstructions or tendon augmentation
- Ultrasound can confirm that the tendon is present before it is planned as a graft, because it is missing in some legs
- An isolated plantaris tear leaves a thin band of blood between the gastrocnemius and the soleus on ultrasound and is usually treated without surgery

## Anatomical variants

- Its lower attachment varies widely, with at least eight patterns described: on the calcaneus separately, fused with the Achilles tendon, or into nearby fascia

## Related conditions

- [Achilles Tendinopathy](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/achilles-tendinopathy/)

## Test yourself

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

## In an Achilles rupture with an intact plantaris tendon, what does the Thompson test show?

No foot movement when the calf is squeezed: the Achilles is ruptured even though the thin plantaris cord can be felt.

## Why is the plantaris tendon a classic free tendon graft?

It is long, thin and expendable; but the muscle is absent in some people (about 7–20%).

## What is the most common cause of 'tennis leg'?

A tear of the medial gastrocnemius; plantaris tears are a minority.

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

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
musculus plantaris TA2 2663

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Tendón del plantar delgado DeCS D013710

**English (TA2)**
Tendon of plantaris

## Related

- [Achilles tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/calcaneal-tendon/)
- [Plantaris](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/plantaris-muscle/)
- [Calcaneus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/calcaneus/)
- [Femur](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/femur/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [DeCS](https://decs.bvsalud.org/es/ths/resource/?id=14088); [Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Calf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459362/); [Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Leg Posterior Compartment](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537340/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendon-of-plantaris/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendon-of-plantaris/