Hand Exam: Motor 13/13 – Adductor Pollicis

Adductor Pollicis

  • Instruct the patient to do Froment’s sign – get the patient to forcibly grasp a piece of paper between the thumb and radial side of the index proximal phalanx
  • Origin:
    Oblique head: bases of 2nd and 3rd metacarpals, capitate and adjacent carpal bones
    Transverse head: anterior surface of body of 3rd metacarpal
  • Insertion: lateral side of base of proximal phalanx of thumb
  • Action: adducts thumb and flexes MP joint
  • Innervation: deep branch of the ulnar nerve

In a complete ulnar collateral ligament tear, the adductor pollicis can become entrapped between the remnants of the ligament

The 13 muscle groups you need to test in the hand exam:

  1. FPL
  2. FDP
  3. FDS
  4. Thenar muscles
  5. Interosseous
  6. Hypothenar muscles
  7. EPB and APL
  8. EPL
  9. EDC
  10. EIP and EDM
  11. ECRL and ECRB
  12. ECU
  13. Adductor Pollicis

9 thoughts on “Hand Exam: Motor 13/13 – Adductor Pollicis

  1. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 12/13 – Extensor Carpi Ulnaris (ECU) | Sketchy Medicine

  2. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 9/13 – Extensor Digitorum Communis (EDC) | Sketchy Medicine

  3. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 7/13 – Extensor Pollicis Brevis (EPB) and Abductor Pollicis Longus (APL) | Sketchy Medicine

  4. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 5/13 – Interosseous Muscles | Sketchy Medicine

  5. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 4/13 – Thenar Muscles | Sketchy Medicine

  6. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 3/13 – Flexor Digitorum Superficialis (FDS) | Sketchy Medicine

  7. Pingback: Hand Exam: Motor 1/13 – Flexor Pollicis Longus (FPL) | Sketchy Medicine

    • I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep up some anatomy drawing even without the drawing club! I hope your drawing website is going well!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.