For being such a small anatomic location, people find it very difficult to describe where on the hand or digits things are actually happening when there is an injury.
I think part of it stems back to medical school when we are taught that the digits all have numbers, the thumb is D1, index D2 and so forth. The problem comes when people say “the 3rd finger” and all of the sudden one has no idea whether they are talking about the long finger (D3) or the ring finger (D4 but then, the thumb doesn’t count as a finger, does it?)
Which finger (digit?!) is which?
This is why it’s always best to call digits by their names, this even goes for metacarpals. It is totally OK, and generally less confusing to call a bone the index finger metacarpal.
- Thumb = D1
- Index = D2
- Long = D3
- Ring = D4
- Small = D5
Which side of the hand?
The same goes for which side of the hand the problem is on. There is no lateral or medial side to the hand. One could argue that it’s how someone is in anatomical position, so obviously the small finger side is medial, unfortunately very few people walk around in anatomic position and it’s their thumbs that point to the body.
So best to describe side by two things that stay put regardless of how someone has their hands in space: the radius and the ulna.
- Thumb side = RADIAL
- Small finger side = ULNAR
Finally for the top and bottom (or is it back and front) of the hands: use the terms DORSAL (where the nails are) and VOLAR (or palmar)