GLOSSARY

The carpal bones are eight small, short bones arranged in two rows of four between the forearm and the palm, forming the wrist.

Arrangement

• Proximal row (from thumb to little finger side): scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, and pisiform.
• Distal row: trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, and hamate.

Characteristics

Together these bones form an arch whose palmar side is roofed by the transverse carpal ligament, creating the carpal tunnel; the median nerve and the finger flexor tendons pass through it. The combination of small movements between these bones provides the wrist’s full range of motion.