Muscles of the hand

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Although the hand largely outsources the strength needed for a handgrip to the muscles of the forearm, it employs a vast number of smaller muscles that enable it to perform the fine, dexterous movements unique to the human hand. These muscles, sometimes referred to as the intrinsic muscles of the hand, all originate and insert within the hand region.

Typically, the intrinsic muscles of the hand can be divided into three groups: the metacarpal, thenar and hypothenar muscles.

The muscles of the hand can also be categorized according to five compartments, where the metacarpal muscle group is subdivided into three further groups. These include: the thenar, adductor, hypothenar, central, and interosseous compartments. 

To start learning about these muscles and their characteristics, watch the following video.

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Now that you have watched the video, solidify your understanding of the muscles of the hand by testing yourself with the following quiz!

Of course, muscles are only one piece of the puzzle! Here you can customize your own quiz and get a broader array of questions about the anatomy of the wrist and hand.

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Summary