How Many Bones are in The Hand

Introduction

The human skeletal system is responsible for providing strength and support to the human body. There are 206 bones in a fully-grown human body. Human bones are light; they have the strength to take our mass's full weight. It creates a protective cage around our precious organs like the heart, lungs, brain and reproductive organs. Our hands are two structures we use to interact with the world around us. We pick things up, use them to eat food and throw a ball around when playing with friends. Let us look at the bones that make up our hands' structure.

What are bones made of?

Bones are primarily made of a protein called Collagen, along with a mineral compound known as Calcium phosphate. These two together make the foundation of our bones. Bones store calcium and are responsible for releasing it into the bloodstream so other parts of the body can utilize it.

Human bones are made of two types of tissue.

• Compact bone is the solid outer part of the bone, which gives it a white ivory color. It is extremely strong. However, it is porous to carry blood vessels across.

• Cancellous bone is the type of tissue present inside the compact bone. It is also referred to as the soft bone and has the consistency of a sponge. Bone marrow is also found in Cancellous bone.

Bones in a Hand

The human hand is the part of the arm which includes the fingers and the palm. There are a total of 27 bones present in one hand, that is 27 bones in the left hand and 27 bones in the right hand each.

There are three major types of bones which make up the hand. These are as follows.

• Phalanges - Phalanges are the bones which are present in our fingers and also our toes. There are a total of 14 phalanges in the human hands. They are as follows.

• Distal Phalanges (5 bones)

• Proximal Phalanges (5 bones)

• Intermediate Phalanges (4 bones)

Other than the thumb, which has two phalanges, the other fingers have three phalanges each.

• Metacarpal Bones - The bones present in the palm section of our hands are known as metacarpals. There are a total of five metacarpal bones.

• Metacarpal I - connected to the Thumb

• Metacarpal II - connected to the Index Finger

• Metacarpal III - connected to the Middle Finger

• Metacarpal IV - connected to the Ring Finger

• Metacarpal V - connected to the Little Finger

• Carpals Bones - Carpal Bones are those bones which form our wrists. There are a total of 8 carpal bones in the wrist. These sets of bones are divided into distal and proximal rows. Following are the bones in each row.

• Distal row (4 bones)

Capitate

Hamate

Trapezoid

Trapezium

• Proximal Row (4 bones)

Lunate

Triquetrum

Scaphoid

Pisiform

Improve Bone Health

Bone health is very important, especially for growing children and people in their old age. Bones are responsible for holding our weight and helping us move from one place to another. Following are some of the ways you can improve your bone health.

• High Calcium Diet

As we have seen already, bones are made up of Calcium Phosphate, which is responsible for providing calcium to parts of the body. Therefore, we can improve our bone health by consuming a calcium-rich diet. Eating dairy products, beans, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables has been shown to improve bone health due to their high calcium levels.

• Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps improve the capacity of bones to absorb calcium, making them stronger. The best source of Vitamin D is the sun. Exposure to sunlight, especially in the early mornings and evenings, is good for your bones. Eggs and fish oil are known to be rich in vitamin D.

• Regular Exercise

Bones get stronger with regular movement and exercise, just like muscles do. Walking, jogging and playing sports are ways to improve bone health. These weight-bearing exercises help stress the bones and help them rebuild to be stronger.

Notes

1. There are a total of 27 bones in the human hand.

2. The human hand are made up of

• Phalanges

• Metacarpals

• Carpals

The human foot comprises the following bones

• Phalanges

• Metatarsals

• Tarsals

• Talus

• Calcaneus

Besides the phalanges, the bones in the hand and foot are named differently.

3 The thumb is considered a finger. Though it functions differently from the other four fingers, as long as it remains a member of the five terminals of the hand, it is considered a finger.

4. Though a grown adult has 206 bones, newborn babies are known to be born with as many as 300 bones.

5. The human bone is made of Calcium Phosphate and releases calcium in the bloodstream for other body parts to use, the more calcium it can store, the stronger it will be. Vitamin D is a product which makes the bone absorb more and store more calcium, making them stronger. A decrease in Vitamin D can cause rickets and osteoporosis, affecting the bone.