Opponens digiti minimi muscle of hand

The opponens digiti minimi (opponens digiti quinti in older texts) is a muscle in the hand. It is of a triangular form, and placed immediately beneath the palmaris brevis, abductor digiti minimi and flexor digiti minimi brevis. It is one of the three hypothenar muscles that control the little finger.

Opponens digiti minimi muscle
Deep muscles of the right hand, palmar view.
Details
Origin	Hook of hamate and flexor retinaculum
Insertion	Medial border of 5th metacarpal (in hand, 3rd digit is orientation of mid-line)
Artery	ulnar artery
Nerve	deep branch of ulnar nerve (C8 and T1)
Actions	Draws 5th metacarpal anteriorly and rotates it, bringing little finger (5th digit) into opposition with thumb
Identifiers
Latin	musculus opponens digiti minimi (Old: opponens quinti digiti)
TA98	A04.6.02.064
TA2	2531
FMA	37384
Anatomical terms of muscle

It arises from the convexity of the hamulus of the hamate bone and the contiguous portion of the transverse carpal ligament; it is inserted into the whole length of the metacarpal bone of the little finger, along its ulnar margin.

The opponens digiti minimi muscle serves to flex and laterally rotate the 5th metacarpal about the 5th carpometacarpal joint, as when bringing the little finger and thumb into opposition. It is innervated by the deep branch of the ulnar nerve.

See also

• Hypothenar
• Opponens pollicis muscle

Additional images

• 
  The muscles of the thumb. (Opponens quinti digiti visible at center right.)
• 
  Front of the left forearm. Deep muscles. (Opponens digiti quinti visible at bottom left.)
• 
  Bones of the left hand. Volar surface.
• 
  Transverse section across the wrist and digits.
• 
  Opponens digiti minimi
• 
  Opponens digiti minimi
• 
  Opponens digiti minimi muscle
• 
  Muscles of hand. Cross section.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 464 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• PTCentral