Hamate bone
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| Bone: Hamate bone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| BONES OF HAND Proximal: A=Scaphoid, B=Lunate, C=Triquetral, D=Pisiform Distal: E=Trapezium, F=Trapezoid, G=Capitate, H=Hamate | |
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| The left hamate bone | |
| Latin | os hamatum |
| Gray's | subject #54 227 |
| Articulations | articulates with five bones: the lunate proximally the fourth and fifth metacarpals distally the triangular medially the capitate laterally |
| MeSH | Hamate+Bone |
| Dorlands / Elsevier | o_07/12598356 |
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The hamate bone (unciform bone) is a bone in the human hand that may be readily distinguished by its wedge-shaped form, and the hook-like process which projects from its volar surface. It is situated at the medial and lower angle of the carpus, with its base downward, resting on the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones, and its apex directed upward and lateralward.
The etymology derives from the Latin hamatus "hooked," from hamus which means "hook."
Surfaces
The superior surface, the apex of the wedge, is narrow, convex, smooth, and articulates with the lunate.
The inferior surface articulates with the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones, by concave facets which are separated by a ridge.
The dorsal surface is triangular and rough for ligamentous attachment.
The volar surface presents, at its lower and ulnar side, a curved, hook-like process, the hamulus, directed forward and lateralward.
The medial surface articulates with the triangular bone by an oblong facet, cut obliquely from above, downward and medialward.
The lateral surface articulates with the capitate by its upper and posterior part, the remaining portion being rough, for the attachment of ligaments.
Clinical significance
This is the bone most commonly fractured when an amateur golfer hits the ground hard with his/her golf club on his/her downswing. The fracture is usually a hairline fracture, commonly missed on normal X-Rays. Symptoms are pain aggravated by gripping, tenderness over the hamate and symptoms of irritation of the ulnar nerve. If the hamate bone is broken, it immobilizes your ring finger, pinky finger, and wrist until it is healed.
See also
Additional images
 Bones of the left hand. Volar surface. |
 Bones of the left hand. Dorsal surface. |
 Transverse section across the wrist and digits. |
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
fr:Hamatumsk:Háková kosť
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
