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# Third metatarsal

The third metatarsal is one of the five long bones of the forefoot, behind the third toe.

Official name: Third

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## What it is

One of the five long bones of the forefoot, behind the third toe.

## What it does

The metatarsals spread weight across the ball of the foot and act as levers when you push off.

## Key points

- The second commonest site of march fracture after the second metatarsal
- Part of the stiff middle column, with the second metatarsal and the lateral and intermediate cuneiforms
- The third web space, between its head and the fourth, is the classic site of an interdigital (Morton) neuroma

## Key facts

**Joints with**
Lateral cuneiform; metatarsals 2 and 4; proximal phalanx of third toe

**Landmarks**
Base, shaft and head; dorsal and [plantar interossei](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/plantar-interossei-muscles/) attach; stress fracture site

## Relations

**Behind**
[Lateral cuneiform](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-cuneiform-bone/) at the third tarsometatarsal joint

**In front**
Proximal phalanx of the [third toe](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/third-toe/)

**Medial**
[Second metatarsal](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/second/) with the second dorsal interosseous; origin of the first plantar interosseous

**Lateral**
[Fourth metatarsal](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/fourth/) with the third dorsal interosseous; the third web space with the common plantar digital nerve

**Below**
Oblique head of [adductor hallucis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/adductor-hallucis/) near the base; transverse head across the heads

## How to find it

Felt on the dorsum in the middle of the forefoot, behind the third toe. Pressing between its head and the fourth from below reproduces the pain of a Morton neuroma.

## Examination

- Mulder click: squeezing the forefoot while pressing the third web space produces a click and radiating pain with a Morton neuroma

## On imaging

Stress fractures appear late on X-ray and early on MRI. Ultrasound or MRI shows a Morton neuroma as a mass between the third and fourth metatarsal heads.

## Common problems

- Stress fractures, common in runners and military recruits ('march fracture').
- Pain under its head (metatarsalgia).

## Clinical notes

- Middle metatarsal shaft fractures are splinted by their neighbours and are often stable
- Several adjacent metatarsal neck fractures after a crush injury can tilt the heads down and overload the sole

## Development

Its secondary centre is at the head.

## Related conditions

- [Morton neuroma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/morton-neuroma/)
- [Metatarsal fractures (including stress fractures)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/metatarsal-fractures/)

## Test yourself

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

## Which metatarsal is the second commonest site of march fracture?

The third metatarsal, after the second.

## Where is the classic site of a Morton (interdigital) neuroma?

The third web space, between the heads of the third and fourth metatarsals.

## What is the Mulder click?

Squeezing the forefoot while pressing the third web space produces a click and radiating pain with a Morton neuroma.

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

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
os metatarsi III TA2 1496

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Tercer metatarsiano DeCS D008682

**English (TA2)**
Third

## Related

- [Lateral cuneiform](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lateral-cuneiform-bone/)
- [Third toe](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/third-toe/)
- [Adductor hallucis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/adductor-hallucis/)
- [Dorsal interossei](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/dorsal-interossei-muscles-of-foot/)
- [Toe extensor tendons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendons-of-extensor-digitorum-longus/)
- [Extensor digitorum brevis](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/extensor-digitorum-brevis/)
- [Toe flexor tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tendon-of-flexor-digitorum-longus/)
- [Lisfranc ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/cuneometatarsal-interosseous-ligaments/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [DeCS](https://decs.bvsalud.org/es/ths/resource/?id=22943&filter=ths_termall&q=Huesos%20Metatarsianos); [Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Metatarsal Bones](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549872/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/third/