The dorsal side of your foot, also known as the top of your foot, is a pretty complicated area, full of all sorts of parts that work together to help you move, stay balanced, and support your weight. If you want to understand what’s going on when you have foot or ankle pain, it’s helpful to understand the different parts of your foot.
That’s why it’s so important for doctors and other healthcare professionals to have a solid understanding of foot anatomy — it helps them accurately diagnose and treat foot and ankle issues. Knowing what’s on the surface of the foot can also help narrow down what might be going on.
The foot itself is often described as being divided into three parts: the hindfoot, the midfoot, and the forefoot. It also has a medial (inner) and lateral (outer) column, which have different amounts of movement.
In this article, we’ll dig deep into the anatomy of the dorsal side of the foot. We’ll cover the bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and nerves, and talk about what each of them does.