The Posterior Talar Articular Surface Of The Calcaneus, Medial View

Description

Seen from the medial aspect of the hindfoot, the calcaneus (heel bone) fills the frame, with focus on the posterior talar articular surface (facies articularis talaris posterior) on its superior surface. The facet reads as a convex, smooth hyaline-bearing surface that slopes anteriorly and inferiorly, oriented to meet the corresponding concavity on the talus. As the animation subtly rotates and settles into a true medial profile, adjacent landmarks come into register, including the sustentaculum tali projecting medially and the intervening sulcus calcanei leading toward the sinus tarsi laterally. That posterior talar facet is the primary load-bearing surface of the subtalar (talocalcaneal) joint, where inversion and eversion occur around an oblique axis while compressive forces transfer from the talus into the calcaneal tuberosity. Joint congruence here becomes clinically relevant in calcaneal fractures with posterior facet depression, a pattern that disrupts subtalar mechanics and can drive post-traumatic subtalar arthritis even when the hindfoot looks aligned externally. Motion helps: watching the medial view rotate clarifies why small changes in facet tilt or step-off translate into altered contact pressures and restricted hindfoot excursion. Use this sequence in gross anatomy and lower-limb kinesiology teaching to anchor subtalar joint surfaces to palpable hindfoot landmarks, or in orthopaedic and podiatry modules discussing Sanders fracture classification, subtalar arthrodesis planning, and CT correlation of the posterior facet. It also fits radiology education when pairing medial anatomy with coronal and sagittal CT reconstructions of the posterior facet and sustentaculum tali. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.