What are the compartments of the ankle joint, and what structures do they contain?
The ankle joint contains four compartments: Anterior, medial, lateral, and posterior.
- • Anterior compartment: From medial to lateral, the anterior compartment contains the anterior t ibialis tendon, extensor h allucis longus tendon, peroneal nerve, dorsalis pedis artery, and extensor d igitorum longus tendon. The tendons in the anterior compartment can be remembered by using the mnemonic “ T om h ates D ick.”
- • Medial compartment: From medial to lateral, the medial compartment contains the posterior t ibialis tendon, flexor d igitorum longus tendon, posterior tibial a rtery, posterior tibial v ein, posterior tibial n erve, and flexor h allucis longus tendon. The structures in the medial compartment can be remembered by using the mnemonic “ T om, D ick, a nd v ery n ervous H arry.”
- • Lateral compartment: It contains the peroneal longus and peroneal brevis tendons. The peroneus b revis tendon abuts the b one.
- • Posterior compartment: It contains the Achilles tendon.