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# 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 points

- Arises from the hook of the hamate, so hook fractures (in golf, baseball and racquet sports) sit right at its origin
- Often small, absent or fused with its neighbours
- The deep branch of the [ulnar nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/ulnar-nerve/) and the deep branch of the [ulnar artery](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/ulnar-artery/) pass between it and abductor digiti minimi

## Key facts

**Origin**
Hook of the hamate, flexor retinaculum

**Insertion**
Medial base of the [proximal phalanx of the little finger](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/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](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hamate/), ulnar wall of the [carpal tunnel](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/carpal-tunnel/), with the flexor tendons to the little finger beyond it

**Deep**
[Opponens digiti minimi](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/opponens-digiti-minimi/)

**Superficial**
Palmaris brevis and the [skin](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/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](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/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.

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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

- [Ulnar nerve in the hand](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/deep-and-superficial-branches-of-the-ulnar-nerve/)
- [Superficial palmar arch](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/superficial-palmar-arch/)
- [Hamate](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hamate/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Hypothenar Eminence](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546622/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/flexor-digiti-minimi-brevis/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/flexor-digiti-minimi-brevis/