Knot of Henry

Last revised by Francis Deng on 2 Dec 2023

The (master) knot of Henry, also known as Henry's knot and chiasma (tendineum) plantare, is the superficial (i.e. plantar) crossing of the flexor digitorum longus tendon obliquely over the flexor hallucis longus tendon in the midfoot, at the level of the navicular bone. Distally to the knot of Henry, there are connections, sometimes multiple, between the two tendons. 

The knot of Henry is best seen on coronal planes 4

The structure is named after Arnold Kirkpatrick Henry (1886-1962), an Irish surgeon and anatomist who described the region as a "master knot" in the 1945 revision of his book, entitled "Extensile Exposure Applied to Limb Surgery" 6,7.

The knot of Henry is one of the locations of flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis and could result in a knot of Henry intersection syndrome 2-5.

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