Global Utilities


5.0 GUIDE TO AREAS OF REFERRED PAIN

The diagrams below list designated areas of referred pain. Click on designated areas to see the muscle or muscles that commonly refer pain to that specified area or scroll down to view the complete list.

NOTE: A number of more proximal muscles that refer pain to the leg were omitted because they were beyond the scope of this report. Also omitted were certain intrinsic muscles due to poorly described referral patterns.

 

 

Figure 3. Designated areas of pain where patients may describe myofascial pain.
The table below is a text version of the pictures above:
  

ANTERIOR LEG
Tibialis anterior

POSTERIOR LEG

Soleus

Gastrocnemius

Flexor digitorum longus

Tibialis posterior

 LATERAL LEG

Gastrocnemius

Peroneus longus and brevis

 ANTERIOR ANKLE

Tibialis anterior

Peroneus tertius

Extensor digitorum longus

Extensor hallucis longus

 POSTERIOR ANKLE

Soleus

Tibialis posterior

 MEDIAL ANKLE

Abductor hallucis

Flexor digitorum longus

 LATERAL ANKLE

Peroneus longus and brevis

Peroneus tertius

 HEEL

Soleus

Quadratus plantae

Abductor hallucis

Tibialis posterior

 PLANTAR MIDFOOT

Gastrocnemius

Flexor digitorum longus

Adductor hallucis

Tibialis posterior

Soleus

Abductor hallucis

Interossei

DORSAL FOREFOOT
Extensor digitorum brevis

Extensor hallucis brevis

Extensor digitorum longus

Extensor hallucis longus

Flexor hallucis brevis

Interossei

Tibialis anterior

 METATARSAL HEAD

Flexor hallucis brevis

Flexor digitorum brevis

Adductor hallucis

Flexor hallucis longus

Abductor digiti minimi

Interossei

Tibialis posterior

Flexor digitorum longus

 DORSAL HALLUX

Tibialis anterior

Extensor hallucis longus

Flexor hallucis brevis

 PLANTAR HALLUX

Flexor hallucis longus

Flexor hallucis brevis

Tibialis posterior

 DORSAL LESSER TOE

Interossei

Extensor digitorum longus

 

PLANTAR LESSER TOE

Tibialis posterior

Flexor digitorum longus

 

 

 

 

The pictures above were adapted from the following reference:

Travell J & Simons D. (1992). Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual-The Lower Extremities. Volume 2. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore.

 
© Zak Zisopoulos & Adam Bird, 2000.