Distal phalanx, little finger !
The distal phalanx of the little finger is the bone of the fingertip; the deep flexor and the end of the extensor tendon attach to its base.
Official name: Distal phalanx of the little finger
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What it is
The distal bone of the little finger. It carries the nail and the fingertip pad.
What it does
One of the finger bones; the joints between them let the finger curl.
Key facts
- Joints with
- Middle phalanx (DIP)
- Landmarks
- Base (FDP/FPL insertion, terminal extensor), tuberosity under the nail
Relations
- Above
- Head of the middle phalanx at the DIP joint
- In front
- FDP tendon to the base; fingertip pulp
- Behind
- Terminal extensor tendon; nail bed and nail plate
How to find it
Under the tip and nail of the little finger; the pulp over it is the autonomous sensory area of the ulnar nerve, the spot used to test that nerve.
Examination
- Profundus test: holding the middle phalanx, the person bends the fingertip; loss of DIP flexion of the little finger can also follow an ulnar nerve injury above the forearm branch to the ulnar FDP
On imaging
PA and lateral views of the little finger; on a whole-hand lateral it overlaps the ring finger, so mallet fragments are judged on an isolated lateral view.
Clinical notes
- Mallet finger and tuft fractures are its common injuries, as in the other fingers
- Numbness of its pulp with normal feeling on the back of the ulnar hand places ulnar nerve compression at Guyon's canal, since the dorsal branch leaves above the wrist
Development
Its primary centre appears at the tip early in fetal life and its secondary centre at the base; the base growth plate stays open until adolescence.
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which tendons insert on the distal phalanx of the little finger?
Flexor digitorum profundus on the palmar base and the terminal extensor on the dorsal base.
Why does the little finger rarely bend its tip alone?
Its flexor digitorum profundus shares a muscle belly with the ring and middle fingers.
What are the common injuries of the distal phalanx of the little finger?
Mallet finger and tuft fractures, as in the other fingers.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- phalanx distalis manus TA2 1279
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Falange distal del meñique
- English (TA2)
- Distal phalanx of the little finger
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Bones; 8.2 Bones of the Upper Limb (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0; 8.5 Development of the Appendicular Skeleton (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0; Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): Articulations of the Digits (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
