There are many different bones, muscles and ligaments in the hand and wrist, enabling you to make precise and complex movements.
The wrist consists of eight small bones, called the carpal bones, plus two long bones in the forearm – the radius and ulna. The carpal bones are arranged into two groups of four:
- At the upper end of the wrist are the pisiform, triquetrum, lunate and scaphoid.
- On the lower side of the hand are the hamate, capitate, trapezoid and trapezium.
Within the hand are the:
- Metacarpals – the five bones in the middle part of the hand.
- Phalanges – the 14 bones that make up the fingers of each hand. Each finger has three phalanges (distal, middle and proximal) while the thumb has two.
