The interossei are organized with the second digit as a longitudinal axis; the plantars act as adductors and pull digits 3–5 towards the second digit; while the dorsals act as abductors. Additionally, the interossei act as plantar flexors at the metatarsophalangeal joints. Lastly, the flexor digitorum brevis arises from underneath the calcaneus to insert its tendons on the middle phalanges of digit 2–4. Because the tendons of the flexor digitorum longus run between these tendons, the brevis is sometimes called perforatus. The tendons of these two muscles are surrounded by a tendinous sheath. The brevis acts to plantar flex the middle phalanges. Flexibility
Flexibility can be simply defined as the available range of motion (ROM) provided by a specific joint or group of joints. For the most part, exercises that increase flexibility are performed with intentions to boost overall muscle length, reduce the risks of injury and to potentially improve muscular performance in physical activity. Stretching muscles after engagement in any physical activity can improve muscular strength, increase flexibility, and reduce muscle soreness. If limited movement is present within a joint, the "insufficient extensibility" of the muscle, or muscle group, could be restricting the activity of the affected joint. Stretching
Stretching prior to strenuous physical activity has been thought to increase muscular performance by extending the soft tissue past its attainable length in order to increase range of motion. Many physically active individuals practice these techniques as a “warm-up” in order to achieve a certain level of muscular preparation for specific exercise movements.
The human leg, in the general word sense, is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or gluteal region. However, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle, also known as the crus or, especially in non-technical use, the shank. Legs are used for standing, and all forms of locomotion including recreational such as dancing, and constitute a significant portion of a persons mass. Female legs generally have greater hip anteversion and tibiofemoral angles, but shorter femur and tibial lengths than those in males. Structure
In human anatomy, the lower leg is the part of the lower limb that lies between the knee and the ankle. Anatomists restrict the term leg to this use, rather than to the entire lower limb. The thigh is between the hip and knee and makes up the rest of the lower limb. The term lower limb or lower extremity is commonly used to describe all of the leg. The leg from the knee to the ankle is called the crus. The calf is the back portion, and the tibia or shinbone together with the smaller fibula make up the front of the lower leg. Evolution has provided the human body with two distinct features: the specialization of the upper limb for visually guided manipulation and the lower limbs development into a mechanism specifically adapted for efficient bipedal gait.