Tibialis posterior muscle
Musculus tibialis posterior
- Related terms: Tibialis posterior
Definition
Origin: Tibia, fibula
Insertion: Navicular, medial cuneiform
Artery: Posterior tibial artery
Nerve: Tibial nerve
Action: Inversion of the foot, plantar flexion of the foot at the ankle
Antagonist: Tibialis anterior muscle
Description:
The Tibialis posterior (Tibialis posticus) lies between the two preceding muscles, and is the most deeply seated of the muscles on the back of the leg. It begins above by two pointed processes, separated by an angular interval through which the anterior tibial vessels pass forward to the front of the leg. It arises from the whole of the posterior surface of the interosseous membrane, excepting its lowest part; from the lateral portion of the posterior surface of the body of the tibia, between the commencement of the popliteal line above and the junction of the middle and lower thirds of the body below; and from the upper two-thirds of the medial surface of the fibula; some fibers also arise from the deep transverse fascia, and from the intermuscular septa separating it from the adjacent muscles. In the lower fourth of the leg its tendon passes in front of that of the Flexor digitorum longus and lies with it in a groove behind the medial malleolus, but enclosed in a separate sheath; it next passes under the laciniate and over the deltoid ligament into the foot, and then beneath the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament. The tendon contains a sesamoid fibrocartilage, as it runs under the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament. It is inserted into the tuberosity of the navicular bone, and gives off fibrous expansions, one of which passes backward to the sustentaculum tali of the calcaneus, others forward and lateralward to the three cuneiforms, the cuboid, and the bases of the second, third, and fourth metatarsal bones.