Flexor digiti minimi !
The flexor digiti minimi is a small muscle of the little-finger mound of the palm; it bends the little finger at the knuckle.
Official name: Flexor digiti minimi brevis
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What it is
A small hypothenar muscle.
What it does
Bends the little-finger knuckle.
Key facts
- Origin
- Hook of the hamate, flexor retinaculum
- Insertion
- Medial base of the proximal phalanx of the little finger
- Action
- Flexes the little finger at the MCP joint
- Nerve
- Deep branch of the ulnar nerve (C8–T1)
- Blood supply
- Deep palmar branch of the ulnar artery
Relations
- Medial
- Abductor digiti minimi
- Lateral
- The hook of the hamate, ulnar wall of the carpal tunnel, with the flexor tendons to the little finger beyond it
- Deep
- Opponens digiti minimi
- Superficial
- Palmaris brevis and the skin of the hypothenar eminence
How to find it
Felt on the radial side of abductor digiti minimi in the hypothenar eminence when the little finger bends at the knuckle with its other joints straight; its origin, the hook of the hamate, is felt deep along the line from the pisiform toward the index knuckle.
Examination
- Resisted MCP flexion of the little finger with the IP joints straight (to exclude the long flexors): weakness with a weak abductor digiti minimi points to the deep branch of the ulnar nerve
On imaging
Its origin is best seen on a carpal tunnel (axial) radiograph or on CT, which show hook-of-hamate fractures that standard views miss.
Clinical notes
- Hook of hamate fracture: deep hypothenar pain on gripping; nonunion can fray the little-finger flexor tendons or irritate the deep branch of the ulnar nerve
- Its weakness adds to the loss of little-finger MCP flexion in ulnar claw hand
Anatomical variants
- May be absent or merged with abductor digiti minimi or opponens digiti minimi; palmaris brevis, sometimes counted with the group, may be missing
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where does the flexor digiti minimi arise, and which fracture sits at its origin?
From the hook of the hamate; hook of hamate fractures in golf, baseball and racquet sports.
Which structures pass between the flexor digiti minimi and abductor digiti minimi?
The deep branch of the ulnar nerve and the deep branch of the ulnar artery.
How is the flexor digiti minimi isolated on examination?
Resisted MCP flexion of the little finger with the IP joints kept straight, to exclude the long flexors.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- flexor digiti minimi manus TA2 2530
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Músculo flexor corto del dedo meñique de la mano
- English (TA2)
- Flexor digiti minimi brevis
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Hypothenar Eminence.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
