REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Evolutionary Developmental Biology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1647407
Comparative and Developmental Anatomy of the Fibularis Brevis Muscle: Morphological Variants and Their Clinical Significance
Provisionally accepted
Łukasz Olewnik1*
Ingrid Cecilie Landfald1Daria Domosławska1
George Triantafyllou2Maria Piagkou2
Maria Teresa Vazquez Osorio3- 1State School of Higher Professional Education in Płock, Płock, Poland
- 2Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistemio Athenon, Athens, Greece
- 3Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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The fibularis brevis muscle (FBM)is a key stabilizer of the lateral ankle, yet its anatomy exhibits a notable degree of variability. While often overshadowed by the fibularis longus, FBM and its tendon (FBT) play critical roles in foot eversion, proprioception, and surgical reconstruction.However, inconsistent terminology and limited integrative studies have hindered comprehensive clinical understanding.This review synthesizes data from developmental anatomy, fetal and adult cadaveric dissections, comparative morphology across vertebrates, and clinical imaging. Anatomical classifications of the FBT and fibularis digiti quinti (FDQ) were evaluated alongside their embryological origins, phylogenetic trends, imaging correlates, and surgical relevance.A unified classification of FBT (Types I-IV) and FDQ (Types 1-3) is proposed, reflecting morphological, developmental, and radiological patterns. The FBM muscle demonstrates modular variability that parallels phylogenetic adaptations from complete absence in certain cursorial mammals to hypertrophy in arboreal primates. Variant tendinous insertions and accessory fascicles may mimic pathology in MRI or complicate surgical dissection.FB represents a morpho-evolutionary continuum rather than a static anatomical unit.Recognition of its variants through improved classification, imaging protocols, and evolutionary insight is essential for anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons. This integrative approach advances the clinical and biological understanding of lateral leg musculature.
Keywords: fibularis brevis, anatomical variation, Tendon insertion, Embryology, Fibularis digiti quinti, Musculoskeletal Imaging, comparative anatomy, Surgical anatomy
Received: 15 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Olewnik, Landfald, Domosławska, Triantafyllou, Piagkou and Vazquez Osorio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Łukasz Olewnik, State School of Higher Professional Education in Płock, Płock, Poland
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