How many tendons are in your hand

The volar plate is the strongest ligament in the hand. It joins the proximal and middle phalanx on the palm side of the joint and prevents backwards bending of the PIP joint hyperextension. Intrinsic muscles are small muscles that originate in the wrist and hand. They are responsible for fine motor movement of the fingers during activities such as writing or playing the piano.

Extrinsic muscles originate in the forearm or elbow and control the movement of the wrist and hand. These muscles are responsible for gross hand movements. They position the wrist and hand while the fingers perform fine motor movements.

Each finger has six muscles controlling its movement: three extrinsic and three intrinsic muscles. The index and little finger each have an extra extrinsic extensor. Tendons are soft tissues that connect muscles to bones. When muscles contract, tendons pull the bones causing the finger to move.

The extrinsic muscles attach to finger bones through long tendons that extend from the forearm through the wrist.

Tendons located on the palm side help in bending the fingers and are called flexor tendons, while tendons on top of the hand help in straightening the fingers, and are called extensor tendons. Nerves of the hand carry electrical signals from the brain to the muscles in the forearm and hand, enabling movement. They also carry the senses of touch, pain and temperature back from the hands to the brain. The three main nerves of the hand and wrist are the ulnar nerve, radial nerve and median nerve.

All three nerves originate at the shoulder and travel down the arm to the hand. Each of these nerves has sensory and motor components. Median Nerve: The median nerve crosses the wrist through a tunnel called the carpal tunnel. Nerves are like fiberoptic cables that carry signals. Your brain sends signals down the spine and then through the nerves in the arm to control the muscles. Sensory signals like temperature, vibration, and pain travel from nerves in the hand up the arm, through the spine, and back to the brain.

The skin normally covers and protects the deep structures of the hand and wrist, but injuries such as cuts and burns can disrupt the skin layer. Fingernails are essentially a specialized part of the skin which protects the fingertips and serves as a tool for certain manual activities. Nails can also be injured, and the nail folds are a common site of infection.

They can often diagnose the problem in one visit, and get you started with a treatment plan. We offer a wide variety of both nonoperative and operative treatment options. Call today for a clinic or telehealth appointment! At the shoulder, the two tendons both attach to the large flat bone in the upper trunk called the scapula.

The muscle belly then crosses the entire upper arm and separates into two tendons. One tendons inserts onto the forearm bone, the radius, and the second spreads out to join the fascia along the upper part of the forearm. The tendons have 2 functions: to bend the elbow and to turn the palm of the hand towards the sky. The triceps tendon is wider than most of the other tendons in the upper extremity.

Its muscle belly is on the back aspect of the upper arm. There are 3 muscle bellies that join to make this tendon.

It forms a tendon near the elbow and attaches to the most bony, prominent aspect of the back elbow. The tendon straightens the elbow. The brachialis tendon works along with the biceps and brachioradialis to bend the elbow. The muscle belly is in the upper arm and forms a thick tendon that attaches to the inner aspect of the elbow. Its sole function is to bend the elbow. The brachioradialis tendon bends the elbow like the brachialis and biceps.

Unlike these others, the muscle belly is mostly in the upper part of the forearm and the tendon attaches to the wrist. In addition to flexing the elbow it can also help rotate the wrist. See image in Wrist Tendons. The supinator tendon is at the origin of this short, broad muscle.

The tendon attaches on the humerus just near the elbow. The muscle then goes on to attach to the radius. The main action is to rotate the hand. Flexor digitorum superficialis FDS tendons FDS tendons help bend the index, middle, ring, and small fingers at the middle finger joint. They are powered by a common muscle belly shared by all the fingers, which divides into 4 tendons. They travel down the forearm and within the carpal tunnel.

Just like the flexor digitorum profundus tendons, these tendons glide in sheaths along the fingers and the hand. At the level of the fingers, each tendon splits into 2 separate cords and then insert into the middle bone of the finger on either side of the flexor digitorum profundus tendon that runs farther down the finger. Palmaris longus tendon The palmaris longus tendon is a tendon with very little function in the hand.

Elbow Tendons Biceps tendon The biceps muscle has tendons on each end of the muscle. Triceps tendon The triceps tendon is wider than most of the other tendons in the upper extremity. Brachialis tendon The brachialis tendon works along with the biceps and brachioradialis to bend the elbow.

Brachioradialis tendon The brachioradialis tendon bends the elbow like the brachialis and biceps. See image in Wrist Tendons Supinator tendon The supinator tendon is at the origin of this short, broad muscle.