The navicular (boat-shaped foot bone)
Navicular bone · os naviculare
A boat-shaped bone at the top of your foot's inner arch.
What it does
The navicular sits in front of the talus on the inner side of the foot. It forms the keystone of the inner arch, passing weight from the ankle forward to the three cuneiform bones and the big toe. A strong muscle from the back of the leg pulls on it to support the arch.
Surprising fact
Its name comes from the Latin for "little ship", because early anatomists thought it looked like a boat.
Why it matters
Sprinters and jumpers can develop stress fractures in the navicular, which are notoriously easy to miss on X-rays and slow to heal.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.