Hands are one of the upper parts of our body. In Latin, it is known as Manus. It is made up of palm, wrist, and fingers. They permit us to do many of our daily actions such as lifting things, writing, and cooking.
It comprises almost 27 bones, 34 muscles, 27 joints, and more than 100 ligaments and tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. The hand of a human has a wide palm with five digits connected to the forearm by a joint called the wrist.
Definition
It is the end part of an arm of a person away from the wrist including the palm, fingers, and thumb. In Urdu, we call it ہاتھ.
Etymology
This word originates from the Old English hand, hond, of Germanic origin related to the Dutch hand and German Hand.
Synonyms
- Fist
- Palm
- Paw
- Mitt
- Duke
- Hook
- Meat hook
- Nieve
- Manus
- Metacarpus
Functions
They are an important part of our body. Hands do various functions for us. With the help of hands, we can touch, push, pull, sweep, and carry anything. They make us able to do a broad range of tasks including touching, gripping, feeling, holding, manipulating, and stroking.
The bones in the hands give support and movement to the soft tissues. A hand can hold and move objects in different ways such as with a power grip or accuracy grip. The volume, form, load of the object, and ease of handling determine which of these two approaches is used. Power grip is generally better suited for large and heavy objects and the precision grip is used for small and delicate objects.
Anatomy of Hand
Parts of the Hand:
Thumb:
It is the small finger. It is the first digit of the hand of a human.
Index Finger:
It is also known as a pointer or forefinger. It is the second digit of the human hand.
Middle Finger:
It is also referred to as a longer finger and is the 3rd digit of the hand.
Ring Finger:
It is known as the fourth digital of the hand.
Little Finger:
This finger is also known as pinky or small or baby finger. It is the fifth digital of the hand.
Knuckle:
It is the finger joint.
Palm:
It is the inside part of the hand.
Wrist:
It connects the arm with the hand.
Bones:
In hands, the bones are sub-divided into three main bones which are:
- Carpal Bones
- Metacarpal Bones
- Phalanges
Carpal Bones:
These are the 8 bones that form our wrist. These bones are managed into two rows named as:
- Scaphoid
- Lunate
- Triquetrum
- Trapezoid
- Trapezium
- Capitate
- Hamate
- Pisiform
Metacarpal Bones:
These are the 5 bones that make up the center part of the hand which are:
- Thumb
- Index Finger
- Middle Finger
- Ring Finger
- Little Finger
Phalanges:
These are the 14 bones that compose the fingers of the hands. Also, it makes the toes of the foot. The thumb has 2 phalanges while the other of each finger has 3 phalanges.
Muscles
In hands, the muscles are subdivided into two groups which are:
- Extrinsic Muscle
- Intrinsic Muscle
Extrinsic muscles:
They are created in the forearm or elbow. They manage the movement of the wrist and hand. These are responsible for the entire movements of the hand. They keep the wrist and hand in place while the fingers do fine motor movements.
Intrinsic muscles:
They are small muscles that are created in the wrist and hand. They are responsible for fine motor movement of the fingers during actions such as writing or playing the piano.
Note:
Every finger has 6 muscles including 3 extrinsic and 3 intrinsic muscles which control its movement. The index and little finger both have an additional extrinsic extensor.
Nerves
In hands, there are 3 main nerves which are:
- Ulnar Nerve
- Radial Nerve
- Median Nerve
Ulnar Nerve:
This nerve crosses the wrist through a region called the Guyon canal and branches to give feeling to the little finger and half of the ring finger.
Median Nerve:
This nerve crosses the wrist through a tunnel called the carpal tunnel to give sensation to the index finger, part of the ring finger, palm, thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
Radial Nerve:
This nerve runs downward the thumb side of the arm to give sense to the backside of the hand from the thumb to the longer finger.
Blood Vessels
These vessels provide blood to the hand beside the nerves. The arteries in the hands are:
Radial Artery:
This artery is a huge blood vessel that gives oxygenated blood to the side of the:
- Forearm
- Wrist
- Hand
Ulnar Artery:
This artery supplies blood to the:
- Forearm
- Hand
Hand Pain
Hain pain can occur due to injury or disease in the hand. It can be treated by the appropriate treatment. The most common cause of pain in hands is:
- Tendonitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Arthritis
Hand Disorders
- Osteoarthritis
- Trigger finger
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendinopathy
- Fractures
- Ganglia
- Synovial cyst
- Infection
- Flexor tendon injuries
- Raynaud syndrome
Examples
- Ahmad put his hand into his pocket.
- Her hands are very soft.
- They were holding pens in their hands.
- Saba raised her hand to slap him.
- Hamza put his hands on her eyes to give her surprise.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Which finger in the hand is the love finger?
The 4th finger of the left hand is the love finger.
Which of the fingers is linked with the brain?
The thumb is linked to the brain.
Mention the name of the vein in the hand.
The Basilic Vein is the vein in the hand.
Which of the fingers in the hands is stronger?
- Middle Finger
- Index Finger
Mention the name of the main muscle in the hands.
The interosseous muscle is the main muscle in the hands.
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