anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

, flexor carpi radialis is a

muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...

of the human

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is most often used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anat ...

that acts to flex and (radially) abduct the

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...

. The Latin ''carpus'' means wrist; hence flexor carpi is a flexor of the wrist.

Origin and insertion

The flexor carpi radialis is one of four muscles in the superficial layer of the

anterior compartment of the forearm The anterior compartment of the forearm (or flexor compartment) contains the following muscles: The muscles are largely involved with extension and supination. The superficial muscles have their origin on the common flexor tendon. The ulnar ne ...

. This muscle originates from the medial epicondyle of the

humerus The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...

as part of the common flexor tendon. It runs just laterally of

flexor digitorum superficialis Flexor digitorum superficialis (''flexor digitorum sublimis'') is an extrinsic flexor muscle of the fingers at the proximal interphalangeal joints. It is in the anterior compartment of the forearm. It is sometimes considered to be the deepest pa ...

and inserts on the anterior aspect of the base of the

second metacarpal The second metacarpal bone (metacarpal bone of the index finger) is the longest, and its base the largest, of all the metacarpal bones.''Gray's Anatomy'' (1918). See infobox. Human anatomy Its base is prolonged upward and medialward, forming a ...

, and has small slips to both the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

metacarpal In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist, which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones ...

and trapezium tuberosity.Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics
/ref> The tendon of the flexor carpi radialis is visible on the anterior surface of the forearm, just proximal to the wrist, when the wrist is flexed. It is the tendon seen most lateral, closest to the thumb.

Nerve and artery

Like most flexors of the anterior compartment of the forearm, FCR is innervated by the

median nerve The median nerve is a nerve in humans and other animals in the upper limb. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus. The median nerve originates from the lateral and medial cords of the brachial plexus, and has contr ...

, specifically by axons from cervical nerve roots C6 and C7. The muscle receives its blood supply from the

ulnar artery The ulnar artery is the main blood vessel, with oxygenated blood, of the medial aspects of the forearm. It arises from the brachial artery and terminates in the superficial palmar arch, which joins with the superficial branch of the radial ar ...

Exercises

The muscle, like all flexors of the forearm, can be strengthened by exercises that resist its flexion. A

wrist roller The wrist roller is a device designed for strengthening the forearm muscles together in a rolling-pulling motion. It consists of a bar of varying lengths, with a cord or rope attached, which the user rolls and unrolls. This is resisted by the weight ...

can be used, Zottman Curls, and

wrist curls The wrist curl is a weight training exercise for developing just the wrist flexor muscles of the forearm. It is therefore an isolation exercise. Ideally, it should be done in combination with the "reverse wrist curl" (also called wrist extension) t ...

with

dumbbell The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as lifting w ...

s can also be performed.

Additional images

File:Gray417 color.PNG, Cross-section through the middle of the forearm. File:Gray421.png, Transverse section across distal ends of radius and ulna. File:Gray422.png, Transverse section across the wrist and digits. File:Gray423.png, The mucous sheaths of the tendons on the front of the wrist and digits. File:Gray427.png, The muscles of the left hand. Palmar surface. File: Muscles of forearm.jpg, Flexor carpi radialis muscle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flexor Carpi Radialis Muscle Muscles of the upper limb Forearm

Origin and insertion

Nerve and artery

Exercises

See also

Additional images

References