In human anatomy, the hand is the distal segment of the upper limb, a highly specialized organ of manipulation and sensation comprising the wrist, palm, and digits. Its skeleton consists of eight carpal bones, five metacarpals, and the phalanges, articulating to permit a wide range of motion, and its function depend…
In human anatomy, the hand is the distal segment of the upper limb, a highly specialized organ of manipulation and sensation comprising the wrist, palm, and digits. Its skeleton consists of eight carpal bones, five metacarpals, and the phalanges, articulating to permit a wide range of motion, and its function depends on an intricate arrangement of intrinsic and extrinsic muscles, long flexor and extensor tendons, and the median, ulnar, and radial nerves that provide fine motor control and dense sensory innervation, including the opposable thumb that underlies precision and power grip. The hand's vascular supply, fascial compartments, and surface anatomy are clinically important in trauma, congenital anomaly, and surgery, and the integument of the hand is central to hygiene and infection control. Human anatomy studies these structures through dissection, imaging, and developmental and clinical correlation. The peer-reviewed research within this journal's anatomy corpus includes work bearing on the hand and upper limb, such as bilateral radial club hand, alongside studies of hand hygiene and infection-control practice among healthcare workers; the general description here reflects the established anatomical understanding of the hand as the principal effector of manual function rather than any single report.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 134 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Hands, linking to each citing work.