Arteries of the foot: Branching and communicating

The arteries of the midfoot and forefoot resemble those of the hand in that (1) arches on the two aspects give rise to metatarsal (metacarpal) arteries, which in turn give rise to digital arteries; (2) the dorsal arteries are exhausted before reaching the distal ends of the toes or digits, so the plantar (palmar) digital arteries send branches dorsally to supply the distal dorsal aspects of the digits, including the nail beds; and (3) perforating branches extend between the metatarsals (metacarpals) forming anastomoses between the arches of each side.