- Model side
- Left
- Compartment
- Anterior leg
- Study focus
- Extension of toes 2–5
- Motor nerve
- Deep fibular nerve
Identify extensor digitorum longus
The long extensor for toes two through five, with an additional role in foot lift.
Keep the great toe separate in this comparison: it has its own long extensor.
Sources: Anterior-leg anatomy tables · OpenStax
From the shin toward the foot
It begins on the lateral tibial condyle, anterior fibula and interosseous membrane; extensor expansions connect it to the middle and distal phalanges of toes two through five.
The regional lower-leg study omits foot bones. On this individual structure page, Show context restores the whole same-side leg, including the foot.
Sources: Anterior-leg anatomy tables
Foot lift and toe movement
It extends toes two through five and assists ankle dorsiflexion.
Dorsiflexion brings the front of the foot toward the shin. Compare that with extending a toe: these are different movements, even when a muscle contributes to both.
The viewer shows a static source pose. Rotation changes your viewpoint, not the joint position; it does not simulate contraction, strength or walking.
Sources: Anterior-leg anatomy tables · OpenStax
Innervation
Motor supply is through the deep fibular (peroneal) nerve. That nerve is not displayed in this model.
Sources: Anterior-leg anatomy tables
Read the model
Explore left extensor digitorum longus in 3D
- Follow the selected mesh. Use Front and Isolate to follow the distal branching outline. Restore context to compare its direction with the lesser toes without switching sides.
- Compare, then isolate. Show context restores 31 bones and 21 muscle parts on this side. Choose a neighboring muscle from the list, or use Isolate to remove surrounding surfaces again.
- Return to the group. The lower-leg close-up contains the tibia, fibula and thirteen muscle parts, but no foot bones. Use these guides to compare all four anterior selections. Left anterior-leg guides →
Sources and editorial status
This guide uses independently written explanations with links to the evidence behind them. Source checking and specialist anatomical review are separate steps; the latter is still pending.
- TTUHSC El Paso — Anterior & lateral leg and foot anatomy tables
Principal attachments, actions and deep fibular nerve supply. Attachment summaries are introductory, not exhaustive maps.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e — Appendicular muscles of the pelvic girdle and lower limbs
Anterior muscles and dorsiflexion; fibularis tertius variability and tendon-retaining structures. No textbook text or images reproduced.
3D geometry and its separate license are credited beneath the viewer. References do not imply endorsement of this site.