Forearm Extensors

Let's keep learning about the muscles in the human body!

Last time we learned about how the Forearm flexors are used to help flex your elbow together.

Even though the forearm muscles are smaller than biceps, there are a few other important muscles there too.

The extensor muscles are the ones you use when you move the back of your hand up toward your forearm,
or when you open up your hand and spread out your fingers.


(from: wikipedia - extrinsic extensor muscles of the hand)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cervical Vertebrae

Distal phalanges

The finger tip bones in your fingers are called the distal phalanges.

There are only four of them in your hand, because your thumb has one less bone than the rest of your fingers.

(from: wikipedia - distal phalanges)

Proximal phalanges

We just learned about the Metacarpal bones in the hand.

The first bones in your fingers closest to the main part of your hand are called the proximal phalanges.

(from: wikipedia - proximal phalanges)

There are five of them numbered one through five, starting with your thumb bone and going toward your pinky.

Hand bones - metacarpals

We just learned about the Carpal Wrist Bones.

The bones in your hand are called your metacarpals.

If you feel in your hand, you can feel the long thin bones going out toward each knuckle and finger.

(from: wikipedia - hand)

The metacarpal bones are numbered one through five, starting with your thumb bone and going toward your pinky.

Wrist bones - carpals

We just learned about the Radius and Ulna in the forearm.

The bones in your wrist are called your carpals.

You can't even really feel them all, but there are eight carpal bones in there!

(From: Wikipedia - hand)

The bones have crazy names like scaphoid, lunate, triquetral, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate and hamate.

Whew!