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Calcaneus: anatomy, location and function

The largest tarsal bone, forming the heel. Transmits body weight to the ground and acts as a lever for the calf muscles through the Achilles tendon.

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Structures

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Highlighted in the model: Calcaneus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Calcaneus at a glance

Also called
Heel bone
What it is
The largest tarsal bone, forming the heel.
Location
Lies at the back of the foot beneath the talus, articulating with the talus above and the cuboid in front.
Function
Transmits body weight to the ground and acts as a lever for the calf muscles through the Achilles tendon.
Body system
Skeletal · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA24498 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The sustentaculum tali is a shelf that supports the talus.
  • The calcaneal tendon inserts on its posterior surface.
  • The plantar aponeurosis, abductor hallucis, flexor digitorum brevis and abductor digiti minimi arise from its tuberosity.

Clinical relevance

It is the most commonly fractured tarsal bone, usually after a fall from height.

Structures next to the calcaneus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Calcaneus (FMA24498). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.