What Structures and Tissues are There In Your Wrists?
There are different structures in your wrists to allow for an extensive range of motion. The most common movement in daily activities is the one we use to open or close a jar. However, your wrists are also essential to throw a ball, drink from a glass, or hammer nails. The range of motion is up to 10 degrees forward and 35 degrees backward during flexion and extension, respectively. To achieve this range of motion, you need a combination of soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, and bones with their articulations.
The bones in your wrists include the forearm bones (radius and ulna) and the proximal hand bones (proximal and distal carpals). The proximal carpals are articulated with the forearm bones through these joints:
- Distal radioulnar joint: It brings together the ulna and the radius in your wrists. This articulation rotates your forearm.
- Radiocarpal joint: It is where the radius meets the carpal bones. Instead of being a simple joint, it is called a condyloid joint. This joint has multiple planes with a row of carpal bones instead of only one.
- Midcarpal joint: This is also a crucial joint between the proximal and distal carpal bones. This is a complex set of joints that help your wrist achieve a side-to-side motion.
Another important tissue of the wrist includes tendons, ligaments, and a capsule. Tendons are important for flexion and extension of the wrist. The ligaments are divided into intrinsic (between wrist bones) and extrinsic (between wrist bones and hand bones). The wrist capsule is a fibrous tissue that surrounds the articulation and contains synovial fluid.