Middle Phalanges

The definition of the middle phalanx is the small central bone of the toe. It is in row two of the three rows of phalanges which make up the toes.There are fourteen phalanges of each foot making a total of twenty-eight phalanges in the anatomy of the feet. The Great toe does not have a middle phalanx. It has only a proximal phalanx and a distal phalanx. The distal phalanges are each covered by a toenail and the nail beds are referred to as the ungual region of the toe. The proximal phalanx on each toe is the bone closest to the metatarsal bones that make up the top of the foot. Each phalanx (singular for phalanges) has a body and two extremities, called a base and a head.

Bony Anatomy of Middle Phalanges of the Foot:

The middle phalanges of the foot differ in their structure from the middle phalanges of the hand. They are shorter and more compressed than the middle phalanges of the hand. They are also called intermediate phalanges.

The reason these bones are called phalanges is because of a Greek army formation that resembles their formation. The Greek army would line up in a row that looks somewhat like the toes. The middle phalanges and other bones of the toes are not named individually, but named to represent their location relative to where they are located and their placement in the three rows of the phalanges of the foot. So middle phalanges bones are exactly what they sound like; phalangeal bones located in the middle of the foot. The middle phalanges (foot) bones of the toes are held together by ligaments which assist the muscles in moving the toes when someone walks.

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