Flexor Digitorum Brevis - An Anatomical Variation

摘要

The first layer of sole of foot consists of 3 muscles and Flexor Digitorum Brevis (FDB) is one of them. This muscle usually divides into four tendons, which pass to the lateral four toes. This paper reports a case in which the muscle variates with three tendons of the same muscle in the right foot. FDB flexes the lesser toes at proximal interphalangeal joint. The muscles of second layer, flexor hallucis longus and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) of the foot although presented with normal anatomy and FDL had 4 tendons. This variation is important from an evolutionary aspect that explains the atrophy of the muscles that are not used over time and may be a result of bipedal evolution, which emphasises the gradual reduction in use of little toe. These kind of variations are also important for the anatomists, sports people and surgeons for tendon transfer and designing foot prosthesis etc.