The midcarpal joint is formed by the

scaphoid The scaphoid bone is one of the carpal bones of the wrist. It is situated between the hand and forearm on the thumb side of the wrist (also called the lateral or radial side). It forms the radial border of the carpal tunnel. The scaphoid bone ...

lunate Lunate is a crescent or moon-shaped microlith. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking. In the Natufian period, a lun ...

, and

triquetral The triquetral bone (; also called triquetrum, pyramidal, three-faced, and formerly cuneiform bone) is located in the wrist on the medial side of the proximal row of the carpus between the lunate and pisiform bones. It is on the ulnar side of the ...

bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...

s in the proximal row, and the trapezium,

trapezoid A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium (). A trapezoid is necessarily a Convex polygon, convex quadri ...

capitate The capitate bone is a bone in the human wrist found in the center of the carpal bone region, located at the distal end of the radius and ulna bones. It articulates with the third metacarpal bone (the middle finger) and forms the third carpomet ...

, and

hamate The hamate bone (from Latin hamatus, "hooked"), or unciform bone (from Latin ''uncus'', "hook"), Latin os hamatum and occasionally abbreviated as just hamatum, is a bone in the human wrist readily distinguishable by its wedge shape and a hook-l ...

bones in the distal row. The distal pole of the scaphoid articulates with two trapezial bones as a gliding type of joint. The proximal end of the scaphoid combines with the lunate and triquetrum to form a deep concavity that articulates with the convexity of the combined capitate and hamate in a form of diarthrodial, almost

condyloid joint A condyloid joint (also called condylar, ellipsoidal, or bicondylar) is an ovoid articular surface, or condyle that is received into an elliptical cavity. This permits movement in two planes, allowing flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, a ...

Description

The cavity of the midcarpal joint is very extensive and irregular. The major portion of the cavity is located between the distal surfaces of the scaphoid, lunate, and triquetrum and proximal surfaces of the four bones of the distal row. Proximal prolongations of the cavity occur between the scaphoid and lunate and between the lunate and triquetrum. These extensions reach almost to the proximal surface of the bones in the proximal row and are separated from the cavity of the

radiocarpal joint In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

by the thin interosseous

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

s. There are three distal prolongations of the midcarpal joint cavity between the four bones of the distal row. The joint space between trapezium and trapezoid, or that between trapezoid and capitate, may communicate with cavities of the

carpometacarpal joint The carpometacarpal (CMC) joints are five joints in the wrist that articulate the distal row of carpal bones and the proximal bases of the five metacarpal bones. The CMC joint of the thumb or the first CMC joint, also known as the trapeziometacar ...

s, most commonly the second and third. The cavity between the first

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

carpus In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

is always separate from the midcarpal joint; the joint cavity between the hamate and fourth and fifth metacarpals is a separate cavity more often than not, but it may communicate normally with the midcarpal joint.

The Wrist

The wrist is perhaps the most complicated joint in the body. It permits movements in two planes -

extension Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values that satisfy the predicate * E ...

flexion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

ulnar deviation Ulnar deviation, also known as ulnar drift, is a hand deformity in which the swelling of the metacarpophalangeal joints (the big knuckles at the base of the fingers) causes the fingers to become displaced, tending towards the little finger. Its na ...

radial deviation Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

- and allows complex patterns of motion under significant strain. Optimal wrist function requires stability of the carpal components in all joint positions under static and dynamic conditions. Stability is achieved by a sophisticated geometry of articular surfaces and intricate system of ligaments,

retinacula A retinaculum (plural ''retinacula'') is a band of thickened deep fascia around tendons that holds them in place. It is not part of any muscle. Its function is mostly to stabilize a tendon. The term retinaculum is New Latin, derived from the Latin ...

, and

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s, which also determine the relative motion of the carpal bones.

Ligaments

Ligamentous Apparatus of the Wrist The carpal bones are not interlocked solely by their shapes; rather, they are held together by interosseous ligaments and by volar,

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

radial Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Mathematics and Direction * Vector (geometric), a line * Radius, adjective form of * Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system * Radial set * A bearing f ...

, and

ulnar The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...

ligaments. The ligaments holding the carpal bones to each other, to the distal

radius In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...

and

ulna The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...

, and to the proximal ends of the metacarpals can be described as extrinsic, or capsular, and intrinsic, or interosseous (intercarpal). The function of the ligamentous system is guiding and constraining certain patterns of motion. Some portion of the ligaments are under tension in every position of the hand in relation to the

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 ...

References

External links

Google Books: ''Anatomy and human movement'', Palastanga et al, p 180

''In Vivo Three-Dimensional Kinematics of the Midcarpal Joint of the Wrist''. Moritomo et al
* {{Authority control Wrist Upper limb anatomy