The arches of the foot are formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones and, strengthened by ligaments and tendons, allow the foot to support the weight of the body in the erect posture with the least weight.

The arches are categorized as transverse and longitudinal arches of the foot.

The Longitudinal arch of the foot can be broken down into several smaller arches:

The main arches are the antero-posterior arches, which may, for descriptive purposes, be regarded as divisible into two types—a medial and a lateral.

The medial arch is made up by the calcaneus, the talus, the navicular, the three cuneiforms, and the first, second, and third metatarsals.

Its summit is at the superior articular surface of the talus, and its two extremities or piers, on which it rests in standing, are the tuberosity on the plantar surface of the calcaneus posteriorly and the heads of the first, second, and third metatarsal bones anteriorly. The chief characteristic of this arch is its elasticity, due to its height and to the number of small joints between its component parts.