Sitting or lying supine
Ask the patient to wear shorts and remove shoes and socks. Palpation on the skin is possible by lifting long pants above the ankle.
Anterior to the patient.
Please sit. May I touch the top of your foot and front of your ankle? (or point to the demonstrated area). Please bring your big toe up (or demonstrate). (If needed, hold this position while I try to push your big toe down.)
Guide the patient to sit. With the patient relaxed and with permission, place your fingers on the dorsum of the big toe and ask the patient to extend the big toe (often extension of big toe can not be performed without extending the other toes). Move your fingers to the prominent tendon to the big toe while the toes alternately are extended and then relaxed.
The muscle belly is difficult to distinguish as it courses between the tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles at the ankle. As the tendon crosses the ankle area, it is covered and held in place by the superior and inferior extensor retinacula.
The muscle belly is difficult to distinguish as it courses between the tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus muscles at the ankle. As the tendon crosses the ankle area, it is covered and held in place by the superior and inferior extensor retinacula.
VH - Leg and foot skeleton with extensor hallucis longus muscle and tendons ñ add anterior tibialis, extensor digitorum longus and peroneus tertius muscles and tendons and superior and inferior retinacula on one side