# What is the articulations of the digits?

Gray’s Anatomy (1918) describes the articulations of the digits as follows: The interphalangeal articulations are hinge-joints; each has a volar and two collateral ligaments.

## What it means

- The interphalangeal articulations are hinge-joints; each has a volar and two collateral ligaments. The arrangement of these ligaments is similar to those in the metacarpophalangeal articulations. The Extensor tendons supply the place of posterior ligaments. Movements. —The only movements permitted in the interphalangeal joints are flexion and extension; these movements are more extensive between the first and second phalanges than between the second and third.
- The amount of flexion is very considerable, but extension is limited by the volar and collateral ligaments. Muscles Acting on the Joints of the Digits. —Flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the fingers is effected by the Flexores digitorum sublimis and profundus, Lumbricales, and Interossei, assisted in the case of the little finger by the Flexor digiti quinti brevis. Extension is produced by the Extensor digitorum communis, Extensor indicis proprius, and Extensor digiti quinti proprius.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/6k-articulations-of-the-digits/)

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