What is Metatarsal bones?
{{Infobox bone | Name = Metatarsal bones | Latin = Metatarsus<br />pl. ossa metatarsi (also: ossa metatarsalia) | Image = Metatarsal bones01 - superior view.png | Caption = Skeleton of foot. Superior view. Metatarsals shown in green. | Image2 = Gray291 - Metatarsus.png | Caption2 = Skeleton of left foot. Lateral aspect. Metatarsals shown in purple. | Origins = | Insertions = | Articulations = }} The '''metatarsus''' or '''metatarsal bones''' are a group of five long bones in the [[foot]]. They are between the [[Tarsals|tarsal bones]] of the hind and mid-foot and the [[phalanges]] of the toes. The metatarsal bones are numbered from the side of the large toe: the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth metatarsal. They can be numbered with [[Roman numerals]]. The metatarsals are like the [[metacarpus|metacarpal]] bones of the [[hand]].<ref name=Bojsen246>{{cite book |last1=Bojsen-Møller |first1=Finn |last2=Simonsen |first2=Erik B. |last3=Tranum-Jensen |first3=Jørgen| year=2001 |title=Bevægeapparatets anatomi |edition=12th |language=Danish |trans-title=Anatomy of the Locomotive Apparatus | isbn =978-87-628-0307-7|pages=246 }}</ref> The metatarsal bones are often broken by [[association football|soccer]] players. This may be caused by the lightweight design of modern football [[boot]]s, which give less protection to the foot. In 2010 some soccer players began testing a new sock that had a rubber silicon pad over the foot to protect the top of the foot.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bill|first=Mills|title=Sock boffs may have cured metatarsal woes for Rooney and Co.|url=http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Sock-boffs-may-have-cured-metatarsal-woes-for-Wayne-Rooney-and-Co-article649675.html|accessdate=12 December 2010|date=11 December 2010|publisher=www.mirrorfootball.co.uk}}</ref> == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Bones of the foot]]