Make no mistake about it—your hands are one of the most vital parts of your body. How would we manage without them? And yet, many of us know so little about what makes our hands so incredible!
Below we explore some interesting facts about the bones in the human hand. Read on and enjoy!
- Your hands have the most bones in the human body. Along with your feet, the hands make up more than half the bones in your entire body.
- There are 27 bones in the human hand that is generally put into three groups—the Carpals, Metacarpals and the Proximal, Intermediate & Distal Phalanges.
- Each hand contains the following:
- 29 major joints
- 48 nerves
- 30 arteries
- 34 muscles
- Approximately 123 ligaments
- The wrist has 8 bones, and there are 5 bones in your palm which link to your fingers and thumb. These largely assist in mobility and support of the hand.
- The eight bones in the wrist are:
- Lunate: The lunate bone is a crescent-shaped bone, also known as the semilunar bone, which is the most frequently dislocated bone in the wrist. It gets its name since it takes the form of a crescent moon.
- Scaphoid: This bone is found on the thumb side of the hand
- Triquetrum: This is a tiny bone on the pinkie side of the wrist
- Pisiform: The pisiform is a small bone on the palm side
- Trapezium: The trapezium bone is located between the scaphoid and the first metacarpal of the thumb
- Trapezoid: The trapezoid bone is found between the capitate and the trapezium and is the smallest bone in the distal row
- Capitate: The capitate is the largest of all wrist bones that rests between the hamate and the trapezoid
- Hamate: The hamate bone sits next to the capitate on the pinkie side of the wrist and is a small bone
- Bones in the Human Hand: Terms to Know
- Phalange: one of the bones of the finger, also called phalanx
- Metacarpal: any of the bones found in the palm
- Carpal: any of the eight bones in the wrist (carpus)
- The most common hand injuries are bone fractures. They typically happen during a high-impact trauma like a fall, sports injuries or automobile accidents.
- Because there are many bones in the human hand, the hand also contains lots of cartilage. Cartilage is the connective tissue that pads bones as they come together at the joints. If there is an injury or excessive use, the cartilage can become damaged and cause pain in joints.
The bones in the human hand are complex to be sure. You want to give them the best care to prevent an injury from happening.
