Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Overview
Anatomy
Pronation and Supination
Tarsal Fractures
A Word From Verywell
The tarsal bones of the foot are important for stability and movement. These bones can become injured in some types of trauma, causingfoot pain. This article explains the structure and function of the tarsal bones, as well as why they can become damaged and how to recover after a tarsal bone fracture.
SCIEPRO / Getty Images
Your tarsal bones are located in therearfoot(also called hindfoot) andmidfootareas of your foot. These bones are also known collectively as the tarsus.
There are seven bones within the tarsal bones group:
The calcaneus is the largest of the tarsal bones and is the largest bone in the entire foot.
Foot Anatomy and Causes of Pain
Supination and pronation are movements that your foot makes while it strikes the ground during active motion, such as while running.
Pronation, supination, and overpronation can affect the way you walk in many ways.
A tarsal fracture is a fracture of any of the tarsal bones of the foot. They are rare and can occur from impact injuries or due to force from repetitive actions.
Stress fracturesor hairline fractures most often affect the calcaneus or navicular bones.
If you experience a tarsal stress fracture, especially a navicular fracture, your healthcare provider may check your vitamin D level because this vitamin is important for healing.
What Is Vitamin D Deficiency?
Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms from tarsal fractures include sudden pain, difficulty bearing weight on the foot, and tenderness in the area of the fracture. A stress fracture usually causes a gradual onset of pain and difficulty weight-bearing (standing on your feet).
Treatment for tarsal fractures generally involves wearing a cast on your foot for approximately six weeks and staying off your broken foot while the bone heals. You might be prescribed a special boot if you have a stress fracture.
You will need to use crutches to keep weight off of your foot while it is healing.
Sometimes surgery is needed. New treatments such as shock wave therapy and bone marrow aspirate concentrate are also being used as alternatives.
At any age and activity level, taking care of your feet is important. This means staying active, avoiding banging on hard surfaces or excessively repetitive activities, and wearing footwear that gives you the support and cushioning you need.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dawe EJ, Davis J.(vi) Anatomy and biomechanics of the foot and ankle.Orthopaedics and Trauma. 2011;25(4):279-286. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2011.02.004Ombregt L.Applied anatomy of the lower leg, ankle and foot.A System of Orthopaedic Medicine. March 2013. doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-3145-8.00090-9Brockett CL, Chapman GJ.Biomechanics of the ankle.Orthop Trauma. 2016;30(3):232–238. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2016.04.015Golightly YM, Hannan MT, Dufour AB, Hillstrom HJ, Jordan JM.Foot Disorders Associated With Overpronated and Oversupinated Foot Function.Foot & Ankle International. 2014;35(11):1159-1165. doi:10.1177/1071100714543907Pinney SJ, Sangeorzan BJ.Fractures Of The Tarsal Bones.Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2001;32(1):21-33. doi:10.1016/s0030-5898(05)70191-7Shakked RJ, Walters EE, O’Malley MJ.Tarsal navicular stress fractures.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017;10(1):122–130. doi:10.1007/s12178-017-9392-9Additional ReadingShaked, R., Walters, E., and M. O’Malley.Tarsal Navicular Stress Fractures.Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2017 Jan 21. (Epub ahead of print).
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dawe EJ, Davis J.(vi) Anatomy and biomechanics of the foot and ankle.Orthopaedics and Trauma. 2011;25(4):279-286. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2011.02.004Ombregt L.Applied anatomy of the lower leg, ankle and foot.A System of Orthopaedic Medicine. March 2013. doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-3145-8.00090-9Brockett CL, Chapman GJ.Biomechanics of the ankle.Orthop Trauma. 2016;30(3):232–238. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2016.04.015Golightly YM, Hannan MT, Dufour AB, Hillstrom HJ, Jordan JM.Foot Disorders Associated With Overpronated and Oversupinated Foot Function.Foot & Ankle International. 2014;35(11):1159-1165. doi:10.1177/1071100714543907Pinney SJ, Sangeorzan BJ.Fractures Of The Tarsal Bones.Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2001;32(1):21-33. doi:10.1016/s0030-5898(05)70191-7Shakked RJ, Walters EE, O’Malley MJ.Tarsal navicular stress fractures.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017;10(1):122–130. doi:10.1007/s12178-017-9392-9Additional ReadingShaked, R., Walters, E., and M. O’Malley.Tarsal Navicular Stress Fractures.Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2017 Jan 21. (Epub ahead of print).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Dawe EJ, Davis J.(vi) Anatomy and biomechanics of the foot and ankle.Orthopaedics and Trauma. 2011;25(4):279-286. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2011.02.004Ombregt L.Applied anatomy of the lower leg, ankle and foot.A System of Orthopaedic Medicine. March 2013. doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-3145-8.00090-9Brockett CL, Chapman GJ.Biomechanics of the ankle.Orthop Trauma. 2016;30(3):232–238. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2016.04.015Golightly YM, Hannan MT, Dufour AB, Hillstrom HJ, Jordan JM.Foot Disorders Associated With Overpronated and Oversupinated Foot Function.Foot & Ankle International. 2014;35(11):1159-1165. doi:10.1177/1071100714543907Pinney SJ, Sangeorzan BJ.Fractures Of The Tarsal Bones.Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2001;32(1):21-33. doi:10.1016/s0030-5898(05)70191-7Shakked RJ, Walters EE, O’Malley MJ.Tarsal navicular stress fractures.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017;10(1):122–130. doi:10.1007/s12178-017-9392-9
Dawe EJ, Davis J.(vi) Anatomy and biomechanics of the foot and ankle.Orthopaedics and Trauma. 2011;25(4):279-286. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2011.02.004
Ombregt L.Applied anatomy of the lower leg, ankle and foot.A System of Orthopaedic Medicine. March 2013. doi:10.1016/b978-0-7020-3145-8.00090-9
Brockett CL, Chapman GJ.Biomechanics of the ankle.Orthop Trauma. 2016;30(3):232–238. doi:10.1016/j.mporth.2016.04.015
Golightly YM, Hannan MT, Dufour AB, Hillstrom HJ, Jordan JM.Foot Disorders Associated With Overpronated and Oversupinated Foot Function.Foot & Ankle International. 2014;35(11):1159-1165. doi:10.1177/1071100714543907
Pinney SJ, Sangeorzan BJ.Fractures Of The Tarsal Bones.Orthopedic Clinics of North America. 2001;32(1):21-33. doi:10.1016/s0030-5898(05)70191-7
Shakked RJ, Walters EE, O’Malley MJ.Tarsal navicular stress fractures.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2017;10(1):122–130. doi:10.1007/s12178-017-9392-9
Shaked, R., Walters, E., and M. O’Malley.Tarsal Navicular Stress Fractures.Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2017 Jan 21. (Epub ahead of print).
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
