Dorsiflexion is the movement which decreases the angle between the dorsum (superior surface) of the foot and the leg

Leg

Łęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...

, so that the toes are brought closer to the shin

Tibia

The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....

. The movement moving in opposite directions is called plantarflexion

Plantarflexion

Plantarflexion is the movement which increases the approximate 90 degree angle between the front part of the foot and the shin, as when depressing an automobile pedal...

. The same term can be applied to the wrist and hand, with movement of the palm towards the forearm termed palmarflexion.

Put more simply: it applies to the upward movement of the foot at the ankle joint.

It occurs at the ankle

Ankle

The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...

.

The range of motion for dorsiflexion is indicated in the literature as 15 degrees maximum in the majority of subjects tested.

Muscles involved

• Anterior compartment of leg
  Anterior compartment of leg
  -Muscles:The muscles of the compartment are* tibialis anterior* extensor hallucis longus* extensor digitorum longus* fibularis tertius -Nerve supply:...
  
  
  • tibialis anterior muscle
    Tibialis anterior muscle
    In human anatomy, the tibialis anterior is a muscle that originates in the upper two-thirds of the lateral surface of the tibia and inserts into the medial cuneiform and first metatarsal bones of the foot. Its acts to dorsiflex and invert the foot. This muscle is mostly located near the shin.It is...
    
    
  • extensor hallucis longus muscle
    Extensor hallucis longus muscle
    The Extensor hallucis longus is a thin muscle, situated between the Tibialis anterior and the Extensor digitorum longus that functions to extend the big toe, dorsiflex the foot, and assists with foot inversion....
    
    
  • extensor digitorum longus muscle
    Extensor digitorum longus muscle
    The Extensor digitorum longus is a pennate muscle, situated at the lateral part of the front of the leg.-Origin and insertion:It arises from the lateral condyle of the tibia; from the upper three-fourths of the anterior surface of the body of the fibula; from the upper part of the interosseous...
    
    
  • peroneus tertius

External links

• Diagram at www.gla.ac.uk