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Phalanges of the hand: proximal, middle and distal phalanges and finger joints

Where are the phalanges?

Bend a finger: how many places does it fold? Three for the index to little fingers, two for the thumb. The bones between those folds are the phalanges.

teamLabBody showing the phalanges of the hand (yellow); the white bones are the metacarpals of the palm
Screen from teamLabBody Pro, an anatomy app ›

In the view above the phalanges are yellow and the five white bones of the palm are the metacarpals. There are 14 phalanges in each hand, 28 in both. With the 8 carpal bones and 5 metacarpals, each hand has 27 bones; totals differ between textbooks depending on whether small sesamoid bones are counted.

Proximal, middle and distal

teamLabBody with the middle phalanx of the middle finger selected and the proximal and distal phalanges highlighted
Screen from teamLabBody Pro, an anatomy app ›

・Proximal phalanx: at the base, the longest

・Middle phalanx: in the middle

・Distal phalanx: at the tip, the smallest, with a broadened end supporting the nail and fingertip pad

The thumb has only proximal and distal phalanges, so each hand has 3 × 4 + 2 = 14. Each phalanx has a base, a body (shaft) and a head.

The finger joints: MP, PIP, DIP

・MP joint (metacarpophalangeal): between the metacarpal and proximal phalanx; the knuckle

・PIP joint (proximal interphalangeal): between the proximal and middle phalanges

・DIP joint (distal interphalangeal): between the middle and distal phalanges

The thumb has a single interphalangeal (IP) joint. When you make a fist, the knuckles are the heads of the metacarpals at the MP joints. The foot has a matching set of bones, the phalanges of the foot, with two in the big toe and three in each other toe.

Name and terms

Phalanx was the ancient Greek word for soldiers drawn up in ranks, likened to the neat rows of finger bones; the plural is phalanges. In the teamLabBody English display, for example, the middle phalanx of the middle finger appears as Third middle phalanx.

See it in the app

The hand has 27 small bones, and drawings rarely make the boundary between metacarpals and phalanges clear. In the 3D anatomy app teamLabBody you can select each phalanx to see its name and highlight one finger at a time to see the row from proximal to distal, then rotate with the carpals and metacarpals to see how the whole hand fits together. Cross sections are available with the PREMIUM plan.

FAQ

How many phalanges are in the hand?
14 in each hand, 28 in both: two in the thumb and three in each of the other fingers.
Where are the MP, PIP and DIP joints?
MP between the metacarpal and proximal phalanx, PIP between the proximal and middle phalanges, and DIP between the middle and distal phalanges. The thumb has a single IP joint.
What is the difference between the metacarpals and the phalanges?
The metacarpals are the five bones inside the palm; the phalanges are the bones of the fingers beyond them.

Related articles

・Metacarpals: the five bones of the palm

・Carpal bones: the eight wrist bones

・Phalanges of the foot: the toe bones

・Flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus: flex the fingers via the middle and distal phalanges

・Extensor expansion: the extensor tendon sheet over the phalanges

・All bones of the body

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