| Origin |
|
|---|---|
| Insertion |
|
| Action |
|
| Nerve | Median nerve, except flexor carpi ulnaris and the inner half of flexor digitorum profundus (ulnar nerve) (C6–T1) |
| Members | Flexor carpi radialis, Flexor carpi ulnaris, Palmaris longus, Flexor digitorum superficialis, Flexor digitorum profundus |
Palpation
- Client supine with the forearm palm up and supported on the table.
- Find the medial epicondyle and place your fingers just below it on the front of the forearm.
- Feel the soft, rounded muscle mass fanning down the inner half of the forearm; near the wrist it becomes several cord-like tendons.
- Ask the client to make a fist and bend the wrist against light resistance; the whole mass firms under your hand.
The wrist flexors make up most of the soft bulk on the palm side of the forearm. Most of them share one tendon on the Medial epicondyle of humerus, called the common flexor tendon. Pronator teres also starts from this tendon, which is why the whole area is sometimes called the flexor-pronator mass. A quick way to map the superficial layer: put the heel of your hand on the medial epicondyle and spread your fingers down the forearm. Roughly, your fingers lie over pronator teres, Flexor carpi radialis, Palmaris longus and Flexor carpi ulnaris, from the thumb side in.
Anyone who grips a lot, including massage therapists, commonly holds tension here. Clients who have been told they have “golfer’s elbow” often report tenderness just below the medial epicondyle. Long Effleurage and Petrissage from wrist to elbow, then a gentle wrist-extension stretch, suit a relaxation routine. See Therapist self-care and body mechanics for looking after your own forearms.
The wrist flexors work against the Wrist extensors on the back of the forearm. Flexors are on the palm side and start at the medial epicondyle. Extensors are on the back and start at the Lateral epicondyle of humerus.