Extensor digitorum brevis
Musculus extensor digitorum brevis
MuscularDeep musclesLegLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- The only muscle on the top of the foot: a small fleshy mass on the dorsolateral calcaneus whose four thin tendons run to toes 1-4 (the slip to the great toe is called extensor hallucis brevis) and join the long extensor tendons.
- Function
- Extends toes 1-4 at the metatarsophalangeal joints.
- Size
- Belly about 6-8 cm long.
- Clinical note
- Its soft bulge in front of the lateral malleolus can be mistaken for swelling; it is a standard recording site for deep fibular nerve conduction studies.