Based on the dissection of thirty fresh cadaver feet, a description of the dorsal apparatus of the toes is presented.
This extensor complex is formed by a proximal segment, the extensor sling, and a distal segment, the extensor hood.
The dorsiflexion action of the long extensor tendon on the proximal phalanx is made possible by a dual mechanism: the extensor sling and the direct attachment of the tendon on the capsule of the metatarsophalangeal joint.
The action of the intrinsic muscles is explained by their contribution to the dorsal apparatus. Of particular interest is the sling mechanism for flexion of the proximal phalanx by the pull of the lumbrical.