Extensor digitorum longus muscle

Last revised by Zahra Sabahi on 06 Feb 2020

Citation, DOI & article data

Citation:

Hacking, C., Sabahi, Z. Extensor digitorum longus muscle. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 04 Oct 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-40283

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-40283

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/40283

rID:

40283

Article created:

15 Oct 2015 by Assoc Prof Craig Hacking ◉ ◈

Revisions:

14 times by 8 users - see full revision history

System:

Musculoskeletal

Section:

Anatomy

Tags:

Synonyms:

Extensor digitorum longus (EDL)
EDL
Extensor digitorum longus

Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) is a thin muscle situated in the anterior leg lateral to extensor hallucis longus and extends the lateral four toes.

Summary

origin: upper two thirds of anterior shaft of fibula, superior portion of the anterior surface of the interosseous membrane, superior tibiofibular joint, anterior lateral condyle of tibia
insertion: dorsal aponeurosis on the dorsal surface of the proximal phalanges of the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th toes. Each dorsal aponeurosis then divides into a central band and two lateral bands:
- the central band inserts into the base of the middle phalanx
- the lateral bands insert into the medial and lateral surfaces of the base of the distal phalanx
action: extends the lateral four toes, aids in dorsiflexion
arterial supply: anterior tibial artery
innervation: deep peroneal nerve (L5. S1)
key relationships:
- lateral to extensor hallucis longus
- shares a common tendon sheath with peroneus tertius
- superficial to the extensor digitorum brevis

Gross anatomy

The muscle divides into four distinct tendons above the ankle joint which descend deep to the superior extensor retinaculum. As these tendons pass deep to the inferior extensor retinaculum, they are enclosed in a common tendon sheath with peroneus tertius.