The bones in your wrist are called carpal bones. There are eight of these small, irregularly shaped bones arranged in two rows. They connect your forearm bones (radius and ulna) to the metacarpal bones of your hand.
Anatomy of the Wrist
The carpal bones are crucial for wrist flexibility and hand movement. The proximal row (closest to the forearm) includes the scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, and pisiform. The distal row (closest to the hand) contains the trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, and hamate. These bones work together, allowing for a wide range of motion.
- Scaphoid: This is the most commonly fractured carpal bone.
- Lunate: Located in the middle of the wrist.
- Triquetrum: Situated on the ulnar side of the wrist.
- Pisiform: The smallest carpal bone, located on the ulnar side.
- Trapezium: One of the bones in the distal row.
- Trapezoid: Another bone in the distal row.
- Capitate: The largest of the carpal bones.
- Hamate: The bone at the ulnar side of the distal row.
The information above is supported by multiple sources, including Mayo Clinic, Healthline, and various medical journals, confirming that the collective name for the wrist bones is carpal bones. The individual carpal bones are named according to their shapes and positions.
