Middle phalanx, middle finger !
The middle phalanx of the middle finger is the longest middle finger bone; tendons that bend and straighten the middle joint attach to it.
Official name: Middle phalanx of the middle finger
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What it is
The middle bone of the middle finger.
What it does
One of the finger bones; the joints between them let the finger curl.
Key facts
- Joints with
- Proximal phalanx (PIP), distal phalanx (DIP)
- Landmarks
- Base, shaft, head; FDS inserts on its sides
Relations
- Above
- Head of the proximal phalanx at the PIP joint
- In front
- FDP tendon between the FDS slips
- Behind
- Central slip and lateral bands of the extensor mechanism
How to find it
Felt on the back of the middle finger between the PIP and DIP joints; a jammed PIP joint here swells into a spindle shape that hides the bone outline.
Examination
- Elson test: with the PIP bent 90° over a table edge, the person tries to straighten the middle phalanx against resistance; weakness with a rigid, extending DIP indicates a central slip tear
On imaging
On a true lateral view, a palmar base fragment means a volar plate avulsion; if the joint is not congruent (dorsal V-shaped gap), the fracture-dislocation is unstable. Stress views or fluoroscopy can check stability.
Clinical notes
- Volar plate avulsion at its palmar base after a hyperextension jam is a common ball-sport injury
- Pilon fractures of its base from an axial blow are often treated with dynamic traction so the PIP joint keeps moving while it heals
Development
Ossifies from a shaft centre before birth and a secondary centre at its base that fuses in adolescence; it is the longest middle phalanx because the middle finger is the longest digit.
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which is the longest middle phalanx?
The middle phalanx of the middle finger.
Which tendons insert on the middle phalanx of the middle finger?
The flexor digitorum superficialis slips on its sides and the extensor central slip on its dorsal base.
What common ball-sport injury involves the palmar base of the middle phalanx of the middle finger?
Volar plate avulsion after a hyperextension jam of the PIP joint.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- phalanx media manus TA2 1278
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Falange media del dedo medio
- English (TA2)
- Middle phalanx of the middle finger
Related
- Extensor tendons
- FDP tendons
- FDS tendons
- Finger joint capsules
- Finger pulleys
- Flexor tendon sheaths
- Finger collateral ligaments
- Palmar aponeurosis
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.
