1. Pathomorphology of the hammer toe.
- Author
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BADE, H., TSIKARAS, P., KOEBKE, J., and Bade, H.
- Subjects
- *
HAMMERTOE , *TOES - Abstract
The aim of the present morphologic investigation was to confirm that, besides the lumbrical muscles, the interosseous muscles have a key position in the developing and fixing of the hammer toe—a deformation which occurs in the second to the fifth toes. Some authors describe the topographic relation of the short muscles of the foot. The dorsal and plantar interosseous muscles in particular, as well as the dorsal aponeuroses, are described as stabilizing structures. Most of the toes investigated had interosseous muscles positioned plantarly of the joint axes in the region of the metatarsophalangeal joints; however, there was a difference between the left and the right side. The interosseous muscles of the foot also insert into the dorsal aponeurosis of the toes and have a stabilizing effect on the metatarsophalangeal joints. This study shows that dorsal shifts of the interosseous muscles point to an insufficiency of these muscles as well as to a loosening of the capsule and ligaments in the metatarsophalangeal joints. Both of these mechanisms lead to an inversion of the muscle's function, i.e. the support for the capsular and ligamentous structures of the metatarsophalangeal joint becomes more dorsally located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 1998
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