Spring Ligament

The spring (plantar calcaneonavicular) ligament arises from the medial aspect of the calcaneus and attaches to the inferior and medial surfaces of the navicular bone. The spring ligament is composed of superomedial, inferior, and "third" ligaments:

• Superomedial: Originates from the medial aspect of the sustentaculum tali and inserts in a fanlike manner to the superomedial aspect of the navicular bone close to the talonavicular joint.
• Inferior: Also known as the inferoplantar calcaneonavicular ligament. Originates anterior to the middle articular facet of the calcaneus at the coronoid fossa anterior to the medioplantar oblique ligament (see below) and takes a slightly oblique course to attach in a fanlike manner at the inferior beak of the navicular bone. Located plantar and lateral to the superomedial ligament.
• "Third": Also known as the medioplantar oblique calcaneonavicular ligament. Originates anterior to the middle articular facet of the calcaneus at the coronoid fossa and takes a medial oblique course to insert to the medioplantar portion of the navicular bone, just below its tuberosity. Located in the fatty tissue between the superomedial and inferior components

The spring ligament was initially thought to act as a spring for the longitudinal arch of the foot, but subsequent work has shown that it has no elastic properties. It does have two important functions, however. It supports the head of the talus and (together with the tibialis posterior tendon, the plantar fascia, and the plantar ligaments) stabilizes the longitudinal arch of the foot.

References

• Mengiardi B, Zanetti M, Schöttle PB, Vienne P, Bode B, Hodler J, Pfirrmann CW. Spring ligament complex: MR imaging-anatomic correlation and findings in asymptomatic subjects. Radiology. 2005 Oct;237(1):242-9.
• Rule J, Yao L, Seeger LL. Spring ligament of the ankle: normal MR anatomy. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1993 Dec;161(6):1241-4.
• Taniguchi A, Tanaka Y, Takakura Y, Kadono K, Maeda M, Yamamoto H. Anatomy of the spring ligament. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2003 Nov;85-A(11):2174-8.
• Toye LR, Helms CA, Hoffman BD, Easley M, Nunley JA. MRI of spring ligament tears. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2005 May;184(5):1475-80.