Quick Facts
Location: Foot.
Bone Type: Long bone.
Key Features: Head, body, base, medial and lateral surfaces, and proximal and distal articular facets.
Articulates With: Cuboid bone, fourth metatarsal bone, proximal phalanx of little toe.
Arterial Supply: Plantar and dorsal metatarsal arteries.
Related parts of the anatomy
Key Features & Anatomical Relations
The fifth metatarsal bone is one of the five metatarsal bones of the foot. It is classified as a long bone and includes the following bony features:
- parts: head, body and base;
- surfaces: medial and lateral surfaces;
- landmarks: tuberosity, proximal and distal articular facets, and fourth metatarsal articular facet.
More information regarding these bony features can be found in the Parts, Surfaces, and Landmarks tabs for this bone.
The fifth metatarsal bone is located:
- proximal to the proximal phalanx of little toe;
- distal to the cuboid bone;
- lateral to the fourth metatarsal bone.
The fifth metatarsal bone articulates with the:
- proximal phalanx of little toe at the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint;
- cuboid bone, contributing to the formation of the tarsometatarsal joints;
- fourth metatarsal bone, contributing to the formation of the intermetatarsal joints.
Ossification
Ossification of the fifth metatarsal bone occurs at three ossification centers, these are found in the:
- base;
- body, which appears in utero at third month;
- head, which appears during the second to fourth years.
The ossification centers for the body and head fuse with each other during the 17th and 20th years, while the base fuses with the body earlier (Standring, 2016).
Variations
In some individuals, an accessory bone, known as the os vesalianum pedis, may be associated with the fifth metatarsal bone (Standring, 2016).
Surface Anatomy
The following bony features of the fifth metatarsal bone are relevant to surface anatomy:
- its dorsolateral aspect can be palpated;
- the head is palpable during plantarflexion of the toes;
- the tuberosity is easily located along the lateral border of the foot.
List of Clinical Correlates
- Fracture
- Lisfranc injury
- Brachymetatarsia
- Neuropathic (diabetic) foot ulcer of the metatarsal head
- Iselin disease
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Metatarsal Bone
The fifth metatarsal bone is composed of the base, styloid process or tuberosity, diaphysis, neck, and head.
