Toes

Toes
Toes on the human foot. The innermost toe (bottom-left in image), which is normally called the big toe, is the hallux.
Bones of the foot (the toe bones are the ones in green, blue and orange)
Details
Identifiers
Latin	Digiti pedis
TA	A01.1.00.046
FMA	25046
Anatomical terminology []

Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being digitigrade. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being plantigrade; unguligrade animals are those that walk on hooves at the tips of their toes.

There are five toes present on each human foot. Each toe consists of three phalanx bones, the proximal, middle and distal, with the exception of the big toe (Latin: Hallux). The hallux only contains two phalanx bones, the proximal and distal. The phalanx bones of the toe join to the metatarsal bones of the foot at the interphalangeal joints. Outside the hallux bones is skin, and present on all five toes is a toenail.

The toes are, from medial to lateral:

Toe movement is generally flexion and extension via muscular tendons that attach to the toes on the anterior and superior surfaces of the phalanx bones.

With the exception of the hallux, toe movement is generally governed by action of the flexor digitorum brevis and extensor digitorum brevis muscles. These attach to the sides of the bones, making it impossible to move individual toes independently. Muscles between the toes on their top and bottom also help to abduct and adduct the toes. The hallux and little toe have unique muscles: