The little toe is also known is the fifth digit of the foot. It is the smallest and weakest of all five digits. Still, like the other toes, it assists the foot while walking, jogging, or standing.
In some cases, people are born with congenital deformities where either a digit in the foot is missing or a sixth toe exists. In such rare cases, the designation of ‘little toe’ may shift.
The little toe is made up of the three phalangeal bones. These include a proximal, intermediate, and distal phalanx. The proximal bone is the furthest back of the three and articulates (forms a joint) with the fifth metatarsal bone of the foot. The intermediate phalanx articulates with its distal and proximal counterparts, the phalanges in front and back of it.
The fifth digit receives oxygenated blood from a branch of the plantar arch artery. Two muscles serve the digit, called the flexor and abductor digiti minimi muscles. The lateral plantar nerve and its superficial branch serve this toe.