On the sole of the foot are two plantar arteries – aa. plantares medialis et lateralis, which represent the terminal branches of the posterior tibial artery.
The thinner of the two a. plantaris medialis is located in sulcus plantaris medialis. At the head of the first metatarsal bone, it ends, connecting with the first plantar metatarsal artery or falling into the arcus plantaris; along the way gives branches to the adjacent muscles, joints and skin.
Larger a. plantaris lateralis goes to the sulcus plantaris lateralis, to the medial side of the base of the V metatarsal bone, where it turns steeply to the medial side and, forming an anastomosis with the ramus plantaris on the bases of the metatarsal bones with an anterior swell a. dorsalis pedis. In addition, it gives a sprig to connect with a. plantaris medialis. Thus, the arteries of the sole, experiencing constant pressure while standing and walking, form two arcs, which, unlike the arcs of the hand, are not located in parallel, but in two mutually perpendicular planes: in horizontal – between aa. plantares medialis et lateralis and in the vertical – between a. plantaris lateralis and a. plantaris profundus.
Branches of the lateral plantar artery:
a) branches to the adjacent muscles and skin;
b) aa. metatarseae plantares (four), which at the posterior end of each of the metatarsal gaps are connected to the prothropic posterior posterior arteries, at the anterior end – to the prothoric arteries and disintegrate into the plantar digital arteries, aa. digitales plantares, which from the second phalanx send branches to the back of the fingers. As a result, there are two rows of piercing arteries on the foot connecting the vessels of the rear and the soles. These piercing vessels, connecting aa. metatarseae plantares with aa. metatarseae dorsales, thereby forming anastomoses between a. tibialis anterior and a. tibialis posterior. Therefore, it can be said that these two main arteries of the tibia have on the foot in the tarsus area two types of anastomoses: 1) arcus plantaris and 2) rami perforantes.