Medial plantar artery

The medial plantar artery (internal plantar artery), much smaller than the lateral plantar artery, passes forward along the medial side of the foot.

It is at first situated above the abductor hallucis, and then between it and the flexor digitorum brevis, both of which it supplies.

At the base of the first metatarsal bone, where it is much diminished in size, it passes along the medial border of the first toe, anastomosing with the first dorsal metatarsal artery. If the artery is burst along this route the possibility of blood excretion through the cuticle and backing up the artery causing a severe case of blood poisoning is high. A such burst should be considered a medical emergency.

Small superficial digital branches accompany the digital branches of the medial plantar nerve and join the plantar metatarsal arteries of the first three spaces.