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Bones of the Hand Anatomy
Bones of the Hand Anatomy
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The bones in your hand create a strong but flexible structure that supports the soft tissues like muscles, tendons, and skin.
They give your hand its shape and make it possible to perform precise movements like gripping, writing, or typing. The joints between these bones allow your fingers and wrist to bend, twist, and rotate. Without these bones, the hand wouldn’t be able to move or hold its form. There are three main types of hand bones:
Carpal bones
Metacarpal bones
Phalanges.
The carpal bones
The carpal bones
The carpal bones are eight small bones in the wrist, arranged in two rows:
Proximal row (closer to the forearm): Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum, and Pisiform (a small bone found inside a tendon)
Distal row (closer to the fingers): Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, and Hamate (it has a small hook-like bump).
The scaphoid and lunate connect to the radius bone of the forearm to form the wrist joint. The bones in the distal row connect to the metacarpals at the carpometacarpal joints.
Together, the carpal bones form a curved shape called the carpal arch. A strong band called the flexor retinaculumstretches across this arch, creating the carpal tunnel, a passageway where important nerves and tendons pass into the hand.
Metacarpal Bones (Palm Bones)
Metacarpal Bones (Palm Bones)
The metacarpals are the long bones of the palm. They connect to the wrist bones at the base and to the finger bones at the top. Each metacarpal is numbered and matched to a finger:
Metacarpal I – thumb
Metacarpal II – index finger
Metacarpal III – middle finger
Metacarpal IV – ring finger
Metacarpal V – little finger
Each metacarpal has three parts: a base, a shaft (middle), and a head (top). The sides of the metacarpals curve inwards, which helps muscles attach to them.
The first metacarpal bone at the base of the thumb is separated from the other metacarpals, allowing it greater freedom of movement that is essential for thumb mobility. The remaining metacarpal bones are united to form the palm of the hand.
The second and third metacarpals are firmly anchored and immobile, while the fourth and fifth metacarpals have limited anterior–posterior mobility, with the fifth being the most mobile. This movement is important for power gripping, as anterior movement of these bones increases the strength of contact on the medial side of the hand.
Phalanges (Finger Bones)
Phalanges (Finger Bones)
The phalanges are the bones of the fingers. Each phalanx has three parts: a base, a shaft, and a head.
The thumb has two phalanges: a proximal (closer to the palm) and a distal (tip) phalanx.
The other fingers each have three phalanges: proximal, middle, and distal.
Need a recap? Take a look at the bones of the hand anatomy notes here.
Need a recap? Take a look at the bones of the hand anatomy notes here.
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References
References
Gray, H. (2009). Anatomy of the human body, part 1 (LibriVox Volunteers, Narr.) [Audiobook]. LibriVox. https://librivox.org/anatomy-of-the-human-body-part-1-by-henry-gray/ (Original work published 1858; 1918 ed.)
J Gordon Betts, Desaix, P., Johnson, E., Johnson, J. E., Korol, O., Kruse, D., Poe, B., Wise, J., Womble, M. D., & Young, K. A. (2013). Anatomy & physiology. Openstax College, Rice University. https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology
Based on OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology (2013), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction.
Content paraphrased; adaptations were made.
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