Hands
Hands
Hands (/hændz/; from Old English hand, hond) are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, used for both gross motor skills (such as grasping a large object) and fine motor skills (such as picking up a small pebble). The fingertips contain some of the densest areas of nerve endings on the body, are the richest source of tactile feedback, and have the greatest positioning capability of the body.
Anatomy
The human hand has 27 bones: the carpus or wrist account for 8; the metacarpus or palm contains 5; the remaining 14 are digital bones; fingers and thumb. The hand also includes the flexor and extensor muscles that move the fingers and thumb, the nerves that provide feeling in the hand, and the blood vessels that help to nourish the hand's tissues.
Functions
Hands perform many functions. They can be used for tactile and environmental manipulation, and are used for communication in sign language. The hand's motor function is an important aspect of the body's biomechanics.
Related Terms
- Finger: One of the five digits of the hand, typically used for grasping and manipulating objects.
- Thumb: The first digit of the hand, set lower and apart from the other four digits which are together.
- Palm (anatomy): The central region of the hand, often used in tactile sensing.
- Wrist: The complex joint between the forearm and the hand.
- Carpus: The eight small bones that make up the wrist.
- Metacarpus: The intermediate part of the hand skeleton that is located between the fingers and the carpus which forms the palm of the hand.
- Flexor: A muscle that decreases the angle between two bones at a joint.
- Extensor: A muscle that increases the angle between two bones at a joint.
- Nerve: A bundle of fibers that transmits impulses of sensation to the brain or spinal cord, and impulses from these to the muscles and organs.
- Blood vessel: Any of the vessels, as arteries, veins, or capillaries, through which the blood circulates.
- Motor function: The physical action or movement caused by the nervous system.
- Biomechanics: The study of the mechanical laws relating to the movement or structure of living organisms.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Hands
- Wikipedia's article - Hands
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