Arches of the Foot Labeled – Three Arches and Supports

All 12 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Inner side 7

Medial longitudinal arch The higher of the two lengthwise arches. It runs from the heel to the first three metatarsals.
Head of the talus The spring ligament holds it up from below.
Calcaneal tuberosity The back pillar of the arch, at the heel.
Heads of the metatarsals The front pillar of the arch. The foot rests on them in standing.
Plantar aponeurosis It runs along the sole and ties the two pillars together.
Spring ligament It runs from the calcaneus to the navicular. Its full name is the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament.
Tibialis posterior tendon It supports the spring ligament from below.

Outer side 3

Lateral longitudinal arch The flatter arch: calcaneus, cuboid, fourth and fifth metatarsals.
Long plantar ligament It runs from the calcaneus forward past the cuboid.
Short plantar ligament It joins the calcaneus to the cuboid, close against the bones.

Cut across 2

Transverse arch It runs across the foot at the cuneiforms and the cuboid.
Fibularis longus tendon It crosses the sole from the outer side to the inner.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 in at least two of these, and written in our own words: Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body (1918, public domain), Arches of the Foot; TeachMeAnatomy, The Arches of the Foot; Kenhub, Arches of the foot; Wikipedia, Arches of the foot, Plantar calcaneonavicular ligament, Long plantar ligament and Plantar calcaneocuboid ligament. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry, after the proportions of Gray's Anatomy (1918, public domain) figures 290 and 291; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Three drawings of the bones of the right foot: from the inner side, from the outer side, and cut across the middle. In each, a pale curved band under the bones marks an arch; the bands and cords near it hold it up.

Read the full guide

The two lengthwise arches

The medial longitudinal arch is the high one on the inner side. It rests on the calcaneal tuberosity behind and the heads of the metatarsals in front, with the head of the talus at its top. The lateral longitudinal arch on the outer side is flatter, and the long and short plantar ligaments run under it.

The arch across the foot

The third drawing cuts the foot at the three cuneiforms and the cuboid. They sit side by side like the stones of an arch, higher on the inner side. The fibularis longus tendon crosses under them from the outer side to the inner.

Medial means the inner, big-toe side of the foot; lateral means the outer, little-toe side.

Questions and answers

What are the three arches of the foot?

The medial longitudinal arch along the inner side, the lateral longitudinal arch along the outer side, and the transverse arch across the foot. The tarsal and metatarsal bones form them, and ligaments and tendons hold them up.

Which bones form the medial longitudinal arch?

The calcaneus, the talus, the navicular, the three cuneiforms and the first three metatarsals. The arch rests on the tuberosity of the calcaneus behind and on the heads of those metatarsals in front.

Which arch of the foot is the highest?

The medial longitudinal arch. The lateral longitudinal arch is flatter and lies on the ground when a person stands.

What is the spring ligament?

The plantar calcaneonavicular ligament. It runs from the calcaneus to the navicular under the head of the talus. It is elastic, so the arch springs back after it is loaded.