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Dissection of plantar aspect of left foot

Deep branch of lateral plantar nerve; nerve supply to flexor digiti minimi brevis and fourth lumbrical muscles Description.

Image #201-5

KEYWORDS: Foot and toes, Muscles and tendons, Peripheral nervous system.

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Dissection of plantar aspect of left foot

Deep branch of lateral plantar nerve; nerve supply to flexor digiti minimi brevis and fourth lumbrical muscles Description.

The tendons of the flexor digitorum longus have been retracted medially to display the insertion into them of the quadratus plantae and the nearby origin of an unusually large fourth lumbrical muscle. At a deeper level the interosseous fascia has been removed exposing the deep branch of the lateral plantar nerve. Motor branches of this nerve pass to the flexor digiti minimi brevis (15), the fourth lumbrical (10), and the interosseous muscles.

1 .	1st and 2nd lumbrical muscles
2 .	Oblique head of adductor hallucis muscle
3 .	Flexor hallucis longus muscle (tendon exposed within digital sheath)
4 .	Flexor hallucis brevis muscle
5 .	Flexor digitorum longus muscle (tendons elevated)
6 .	Deep branch lateral plantar nerve
7 .	Medial plantar artery
8 .	Tendons of flexor digitorum brevis muscle
9 .	Tendons of flexor digitorum longus muscle
10 .	Branch of lateral plantar nerve to 4th lumbrical muscle
11 .	4th lumbrical muscle
12 .	Flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle
13 .	Interosseous muscle
14 .	Opponens digiti minimi muscle (consisting of a few fibers deep to flexor brevis that attach to metatarsal)
15 .	Branch of lateral plantar nerve to flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle
16 .	Plantar arch
17 .	Lateral plantar artery
18 .	Quadratus plantae muscle