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MuscleForearm & handsuperficialBeyond Cert IVDraft

Flexor carpi ulnarisMusculus flexor carpi ulnaris

Superficial muscle along the inner (little-finger) border of the forearm that bends the wrist and tilts it towards the little finger.

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LatinMusculus flexor carpi ulnaris
Origin
  • Humeral head: medial epicondyle of the humerus (common flexor tendon)
  • Ulnar head: inner margin of the olecranon and upper two-thirds of the posterior border of the ulna
Insertion
  • Pisiform
  • Hook of the hamate (via the pisohamate ligament)
  • Front of the base of the 5th metacarpal (via the pisometacarpal ligament)
Action
  • Flexes the wrist
  • Adducts the wrist (ulnar deviation, tilting the hand towards the little finger)
NerveUlnar nerve (C8–T1)
GroupWrist flexors
NameLatin: the 'bender of the wrist (carpus) on the ulna side'.

Palpation

  1. Client supine with the forearm palm up and relaxed.
  2. Find the pisiform, the pea-sized bone at the little-finger side of the wrist crease.
  3. Ask the client to bend the wrist towards the little finger against resistance; the tendon stands out just above the pisiform.
  4. Follow the belly up the inner border of the forearm towards the olecranon and the medial epicondyle.

Landmarks: Medial epicondyle of humerus · Olecranon

Flexor carpi ulnaris is the inner-border member of the Wrist flexors. It is easy to find: trace the edge of the forearm from the pisiform up to the Olecranon. Its two heads (from the humerus and from the ulna) form an arch behind the Medial epicondyle of humerus.

The ulnar nerve runs under that arch, in the groove behind the medial epicondyle (the “funny bone”). Avoid sustained pressure there. If the client reports tingling into the ring and little fingers, move off and suggest they see a health professional if it persists.

It pairs with Extensor carpi ulnaris to tilt the hand towards the little finger, and opposes the two radial wrist extensors. Gray’s (1918) also lists weak elbow flexion as an action.

Techniques

  • Petrissage — Kneading strokes that compress, lift and squeeze the muscle away from the bone, working the tissue between the hands.
  • Stripping — A slow, deep, narrow glide along the length of a single muscle with the thumb, knuckle or elbow, pausing over tight bands on the way.
  • Cross-fibre friction — Deep, specific friction applied back and forth across the direction of a tendon, ligament or muscle's fibres, with the fingers and skin moving together as one.
  • Trigger point pressure release — Sustained thumb or finger pressure on a tender spot within a taut band of muscle, held until the client reports the discomfort easing, then slowly released.
  • Passive stretching — The therapist gently moves a relaxed limb to lengthen a muscle to a point of mild stretch and holds it there, with no effort from the client.

Works with

  • Flexor carpi radialis — Superficial forearm muscle that runs from the medial epicondyle to the index and middle finger metacarpals, bending the wrist and tilting it towards the thumb.
  • Palmaris longus — Small, slender forearm muscle with a long tendon that tightens the fascia of the palm and weakly bends the wrist; missing in some people.
  • Extensor carpi ulnaris — Long muscle on the back of the forearm next to the ulna that extends the wrist and tilts it towards the little finger.

Opposes

  • Extensor carpi radialis longus — Outer forearm muscle running from above the lateral epicondyle to the index finger metacarpal, extending the wrist and tilting it towards the thumb.
  • Extensor carpi radialis brevis — Wrist extensor lying just under its longer partner, running from the lateral epicondyle to the middle finger metacarpal and lifting the back of the hand.

Same group

  • Flexor carpi radialis — Superficial forearm muscle that runs from the medial epicondyle to the index and middle finger metacarpals, bending the wrist and tilting it towards the thumb.
  • Flexor digitorum profundus — Deep forearm muscle lying on the ulna that bends the fingertips and is the only muscle able to flex the end joints of the four fingers.
  • Flexor digitorum superficialis — Large middle-layer forearm muscle that bends the four fingers at their middle joints and helps bend the knuckles and wrist.
  • Palmaris longus — Small, slender forearm muscle with a long tendon that tightens the fascia of the palm and weakly bends the wrist; missing in some people.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Flexor carpi ulnaris muscle
  2. Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918), Myology 7e: The Muscles and Fasciae of the Forearm (Public domain. Nerve roots C8 and T1 agree with Wikipedia.)