Day 18 - Amazing Machine!

I've been studying up for an anatomy test tomorrow and have found the foot to be absolutely amazing - I may even have a new favorite muscle!  Yesterday I liked the Plantaris muscle because of it's small body and loooong shiny tendon (and it's missing in about 5-10% of the population) but today I have gained a gread deal of admiration for the Flexor Digitorum Longus muscle.  The amazing thing about that muscle is how it intervates with other muscles in the plantar region of the foot.  The quadratus muscle in layer 2 of the foot actually inserts onto the flexor digitorum longus tendon and then that same tendon, also acts as the origin for the four lumbrical muscles of the foot - amazing - 

That quadratus muscle is probably designed in such a way as to help straighten out the FDL tendon so those tendons aren't pulling the toes to flex them at a 45 degree angle - simply amazing.  

18 muscles in the platar foot - Let's name them from memory!

Layer 1 - abductor hallicus, flexor digitorum brevis, abductor digiti minimi

Layer 2 - quadratus plantae, and 4 lumbrical muscles (1 medial and 3 lateral)

Layer 3 - flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digiti minimi brevis and adductor hallucis

Layer 4 - dorsal interossei and plantar interossei

the 4 dorsal interossei act to abduct the toes 2-4 and the 3 plantar interossei act to adduct toes 3, 4 & 5  :)

I still have a lot to learn and get down before the test tomorrow so I'd better get to bed soon - I'm thinking 2-3 sleep cycles ...I'm really going to have to catch up.  

There's also a meeting tomorrow night at 7:30 with members of Pi Kappa Chi which should be interesting.  :)

I really need to make waves for moving out to that area ...the drive is killing me ...degredating me physically, taking time away from my studies, taking time away from my sleep, taking time away from when I'd otherwise want to stay at school but leave to miss rush hour.