| In this series of articles, I'll go through some of these | | | | bone) and phalangeal (finger bone). This joint moves a |
| terms along with some helpful diagrams and shed | | | | lot in some people and just a little in other people. |
| some light on the common language of hand and arm | | | | Compare MP thumb joints around your family and you |
| surgery. | | | | may find some big differences. |
| The three joints are as follows: | | | | Sometimes this joint is injured when you jam it in a |
| * Carpometacarpal (CMC) | | | | skiing or sports injury. This causes the joint to pop out |
| * Metacarpophalangeal (MP) | | | | of place and tear a ligament. This is sometimes called |
| * Interphalangeal (IP) | | | | skiier's thumb. The ligament can heal without surgery if |
| CMC | | | | it's not moved out of place. |
| The CMC joint of the thumb is located at the junction | | | | IP |
| point of the thumb and the wrist. Break down the | | | | The IP joint of the thumb is at the tip of the thumb. The |
| words in the name, carpometacarpal, and you get | | | | word interphalangeal means "between the phalanges". |
| carpo- (wrist) and metacarpal (hand bone). This joint is | | | | Important tendons attach on the bottom and top of this |
| commonly affected by arthritis. | | | | joint and move the tip of your thumb back and forth. |
| The CMC joint's main function is to allow the thumb to | | | | If you jam your thumb and the tip of the thumb doesn't |
| open and grasp wide objects, like a basketball or (for | | | | move normally, this could be a sign of a ruptured or |
| us mortals) a large glass of your favorite beverage. | | | | torn tendon. Tendons move joints - when a tendon is |
| MP | | | | ripped off the bone, the joint no longer moves normally. |
| The MP joint of the thumb is the middle joint of the | | | | Familiarity with the language of the joints of the thumb |
| thumb, located between the CMC joint and the tip of | | | | will help streamline your visit with a hand specialist or |
| the thumb. Break down the words in the name, | | | | other health care provider. |
| metacarpophalangeal, and you get metacarpo- (hand | | | | |