The human hand and wrist comprise several bones such as carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges that allow us to perform various tasks such as typing, grasping, and much more. Whether you are a nursing student or a nurse, sometimes it is hard to remember all these bones. In this blog, we will dive deep into the anatomy of the hand and mnemonics/ acronyms to remember the bones in hands and wrists.
Anatomy of hand and wrist
The hand and wrist consist of 27 bones consisting of carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges. These hand bones together form the structure of the hand and help in performing different activities such as grasping, typing, and much more. Let’s discuss in detail the bones in the hand and wrist.
- Carpals: Small bones in the wrist that make the foundation of the hand and consist of 8 bones that help in hand flexibility.
- Metacarpals: These bones form the middle part of the hand, connecting the wrist to the fingers and it consists of 5 bones.
- Phalanges: These are the bones in the fingers and consist of a total of 14 bones. Each finger has 3 bones except the thumb which has 2 bones. The order of the phalanges is proximal, middle, and distal phalanges.
For each finger except the thumb, there are 3 bones which are as follows:
- The proximal phalanx is closer to the hand.
- The middle phalanx is in the middle.
- The distal phalanx is at the fingertip.
The thumb finger has only 2 bones which are as follows such as:
- Proximal phalanx
- Distal phalanx
Mnemonics and acronyms to remember hand bones
Mnemonics to remember the order of phalanges
“PMD or Please Make Donuts.”
- Proximal (Please)
- Middle (Make)
- Distal (Donuts)
Mnemonics to remember metacarpals and phalanges for each finger ie
“Tommy Plays Musical Rhythms Perfectly.”
“The Pretty Man Runs Past”
- Thumb
- Pointer
- Middle
- Ring
- Pinky
These mnemonics and acronyms will help you remember the order of phalanges and also metacarpals and phalanges for each finger.
Mnemonics to remember Carpal (wrist bones)
There are 8 carpal or wrist bones which are the following. Mnemonics to remember the carpal bones are:
“So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb”
- Scaphoid (So)
- Lunate (Long)
- Triquetrum (To)
- Pisiform (Pinky)
- Hamate (Here)
- Capitate (Comes)
- Trapezoid (The)
- Trapezium (Thumb)
Another mnemonic for the wrist bones to remember is:
“Smart Little Teachers Provide Time To Create Hope.”
- Scaphoid (Smart)
- Lunate (Little)
- Triquetrum (Teachers)
- Pisiform (Provide)
- Trapezium (Time)
- Trapezoid (To)
- Capitate (Create)
- Hamate (Hope)
The function of the hand and wrist
The hand and wrist consist of several bones that form the structure of the hand and has the following functions:
- Dexterity: Performing tasks with ease such as typing, writing, etc.
- Strength: Provide strength needed for gripping and lifting.
- Flexibility: Allows a wide range of motions such as bending twisting etc.
What is the most important bone in your wrist?
The Scaphoid is the most important bone in the wrist because if it’s fractured or broken it may never heal or maybe healing is difficult.
How carpal bones are named for their unique shape?
- Scaphoid: It is Boat-shaped
- Lunate: It is Crescent-shaped
- Triquetrum: It is Three-cornered
- Pisiform: It is Pea-shaped
- Trapezium: It is Four-sided
- Trapezoid: It is Wedge-shaped
- Capitate: It is Head-shaped
- Hamate: It is Hook shaped
What are the mnemonics to remember the 8 bones in your hand?
The 8 bones in the hand are also known as carpal bones and the other mnemonic to remember is: “Sally Left The Party To Take Cathy Home”
- Sally (Scaphoid)
- Left (Lunate)
- The (Triquetrum)
- Party (Pisiform)
- To (Trapezoid)
- Take (Trapezium)
- Cathy (Capitate)
- Home (Hamate)
Conclusion
Nursing students and travel nurses need to learn about the bones of the hand and wrist. But sometimes it is difficult to learn all by heart or there is a chance you might forget. In this blog, we have provided you with tips and tricks to remember the bones in the hand and wrist. These mnemonics and acronyms will help you to remember the carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges. As we now know there are a total of 27 bones in hand in which the carpals are (8 bones), the metacarpals are (5 bones) and the phalanges are 14 bones. Mnemonics such as “So Long To Pinky Here Comes The Thumb” to remember the 8 bones of the carpal. Mnemonics and acronyms such as “PMD” for order of phalanges mnemonics such as “ Tommy Plays Musical Rhythms Perfectly” are for metacarpals.
