# A Literature Review of the Morphological Variability in the Intrinsic Muscles of the Foot: Traps Awaiting Clinicians during Ultrasound

## TL;DR

This review highlights the morphological variability in foot muscles that can be detected via ultrasound and may impact clinical diagnosis and surgery.

## Contribution

The paper compiles and emphasizes underreported morphological variations in foot muscles relevant to ultrasound and surgical practices.

## Key findings

- Foot muscles show significant morphological variability similar to other body regions.
- Current literature lacks sufficient coverage of ultrasound findings related to these variations.
- More ultrasound studies are needed to prevent misdiagnosis and surgical complications.

## Abstract

Purpose: Like other muscular compartments of the human body, the intrinsic muscles of the foot present considerable morphological variability. The aim of this review was to present variations that can potentially cause problems during surgery but might be detected during an ultrasound examination. Materials and methods: PubMed was searched for relevant articles. The identified papers were listed, and citation tracking was performed. Results: Even though lower limb structure is well studied, the variations associated with the intrinsic muscles of the foot and their related ultrasound examination are not. Conclusions: The muscles and tendons of the foot demonstrate similar degrees of variance as other regions of the human body; however, this subject is not as widely covered in the literature. Further ultrasound studies are needed to build awareness of morphological variability in this region, as the findings could prevent misdiagnosis.