Flexor retinaculum of ankle
Retinaculum flexorium tali
- Latin synonym: Retinaculum flexorum; Retinaculum musculorum flexorum
- Synonym: Laciniate ligament
- Related terms: Flexor retinaculum
Definition
The flexor retinaculum (laciniate ligament; internal annular ligament) is a strong fibrous band, extending from the tibial malleolus above to the margin of the calcaneus below, converting a series of bony grooves in this situation into canals for the passage of the tendons of the Flexor muscles and the posterior tibial vessels and tibial nerve into the sole of the foot.
It is continuous by its upper border with the deep fascia of the leg, and by its lower border with the plantar aponeurosis and the fibers of origin of the Abductor hallucis muscle.
Enumerated from the medial side, the four canals which it forms transmit the tendon of the Tibialis posterior; the tendon of the Flexor digitorum longus; the posterior tibial vessels and tibial nerve, which run through a broad space beneath the ligament; and lastly, in a canal formed partly by the talus, the tendon of the Flexor hallucis longus.
