Mnemonics for Tarsal Bones

Here’s a quick tip on how to use mnemonics to remember the tarsal bones of the foot.

How to Remember the Names of the Tarsal Bones

A good mnemonic for remembering the names of the tarsal bones is: Tiger Cubs Need MILC.

Here are the names of the tarsal bones:

• Talus
• Calcaneus
• Navicular
• Medial cuneiform
• Intermediate cuneiform
• Lateral cuneifrom
• Cuboid

To create the mnemonic, follow these steps:

1. Take the first letter of each bone: TCNMILC.
2. Turn each letter into a word so that it makes a memorable sentence.
3. The resulting mnemonic sentence for TCNMILC is Tiger Cubs Need MILC.

This technique is called an acrostic mnemonic. You can make your own acrostic sentence from the letters if you prefer to use different images for the tarsal bones.

Here’s a picture of the mnemonic: