Midcarpal joint
Articulatio mediocarpea
- Latin synonym: Articulatio mediocarpalis
Definition
The midcarpal joint is composed by the articulations of the two rows with each other.
The joint between the navicular, lunate, and triangular on the one hand, and the second row of carpal bones on the other, is named the midcarpal joint, and is made up of three distinct portions: in the center the head of the capitate and the superior surface of the hamate articulate with the deep cup-shaped cavity formed by the navicular and lunate, and constitute a sort of ball-and-socket joint. On the radial side the greater and lesser multangulars articulate with the navicular, and on the ulnar side the hamate articulates with the triangular, forming gliding joints.
The ligaments are: volar, dorsal, ulnar and radial collateral.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
