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# 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 points

- FDP inserts on its palmar base and the terminal extensor on its dorsal base
- The FDP to the little finger shares a muscle belly with the ring and middle fingers, so the little finger rarely bends its tip alone

## 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](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/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

- [Mallet finger](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/mallet-finger/)

## 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.

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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

- [Finger joint capsules](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/finger-joint-capsules/)
- [Finger collateral ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/collateral-ligaments-of-the-finger-joints/)
- [Volar plates (fingers)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/volar-plates-of-the-interphalangeal-joints/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Bones](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547684/); [8.2 Bones of the Upper Limb](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/8-2-bones-of-the-upper-limb) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); [8.5 Development of the Appendicular Skeleton](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/8-5-development-of-the-appendicular-skeleton) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/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.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/distal-phalanx-of-the-little-finger/