Lateral Cuneiform, Lateral View

Description

Positioned in the midfoot on the lateral side, the os cuneiforme laterale (lateral cuneiform) sits distal to the navicular and proximal to the base of the third metatarsal, forming a wedge-shaped link in the medial longitudinal and transverse arches. From a lateral perspective of the male foot skeleton, the calcaneus remains most posterior and inferior, the talus rests superior to it, and the cuboid lies lateral and slightly plantar to the cuneiform row. Articular cartilage zones are indicated by pale joint surfaces and contour lines, clarifying the naviculocuneiform and cuneometatarsal interfaces. This lateral view matters because the lateral cuneiform is easy to lose in the midfoot “crowd” on standard dorsoplantar diagrams, yet it becomes a key landmark when you are tracking the Lisfranc complex and the column alignment of the forefoot. Pain and instability after a tarsometatarsal injury often localize to the second and third rays, where the third metatarsal meets the lateral cuneiform, and subtle malalignment here can change load transfer across the midfoot during gait. Small bone, big consequences. Educators can drop this plate into lower-limb anatomy teaching to reinforce tarsal naming, arch mechanics, and the spatial relationship between the cuboid and the cuneiforms in a true lateral projection. It also supports radiology and sports medicine materials that discuss midfoot fracture patterns, dorsal avulsion fragments, and post-traumatic arthrosis at the cuneometatarsal joints, where clean joint surface depiction helps learners match anatomy to plain film and CT findings. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.