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As its name suggests, it opposes the thumb, bringing it against the fingers. This is a very important movement, as most of human hand dexterity including grip comes from this action. The abductor pollicis brevis originates on the scaphoid tubercle and the flexor retinaculum. It inserts to the radial sesamoid bone and the proximal phalanx of the ...
The radial nerve innervates the finger extensors and the thumb abductor; that is, the muscles that extend at the wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints (knuckles) and abduct and extend the thumb. The median nerve innervates the flexors of the wrist and digits, the abductors and opponens of the thumb, the first and second lumbricals. The ulnar ...
(The flexor pollicis longus, which is inserted into the distal phalanx of the thumb, is not considered part of the thenar eminence.) Opponens pollicis lies deep to abductor pollicis brevis. As its name suggests it opposes the thumb, bringing it against the fingers. This is a very important movement, as most of human hand dexterity comes from ...
The thumb contrasts with each of the other four fingers by being the only one that: Is opposable to the other four fingers; Has two phalanges rather than three. However, recently there have been reports that the thumb, like other fingers, has three phalanges, but lacks a metacarpal bone. [3]
Three phalanges are present on each finger and toe, with the exception of the thumb and big toe, which possess only two. The middle and far phalanges of the fourth and [citation needed] fifth toes are often fused together (symphalangism). [1] [2] The phalanges of the hand are commonly known as the finger bones. The phalanges of the foot differ ...
The muscle's superficial head arises from the distal edge of the flexor retinaculum and the tubercle of the trapezium, the most lateral bone in the distal row of carpal bones. [1] It passes along the radial side of the tendon of the flexor pollicis longus. The deeper (and medial) head "varies in size and may be absent."
Abduction of the thumb is defined as the movement of the thumb anteriorly, a direction perpendicular to the palm. The abductor pollicis brevis does this by acting across both the carpometacarpal joint and the metacarpophalangeal joint. It also assists in opposition and extension of the thumb.
These joints are of the condyloid kind, formed by the reception of the rounded heads of the metacarpal bones into shallow cavities on the proximal ends of the proximal phalanges. [1] Being condyloid, they allow the movements of flexion , extension , abduction , adduction and circumduction (see anatomical terms of motion ) at the joint.