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Flexor pollicis brevis
Other Terms:
Musculus flexor pollicis brevis,
Muscle court fléchisseur du pouce
Muscle parts
Superficial head; Deep head
Latin name
Musculus flexor pollicis brevis
Latin muscle parts
Caput superficiale; Caput profundum
Group
Hand muscle – thenar group
Etymology
In English this muscle’s name is the short muscle that bends the thumb. The word flexor comes from the Latin flectere meaning “to bend.”The Latin pollex meaning “thumb” arises from the Latin polleo meaning “to be strong,” as the thumb was the strongest of the fingers.Brevis is the Latin term meaning “short.” This is being used as a comparative reference to a longer muscle that does the same thing.
Origin
Distal border of the flexor retinaculum and the tubercle of the trapezium bone (superficial head) and the anterior surface of the trapezoid and capitate bones (deep head).
Insertion
Base of proximal phalanx of thumb on radial side (the tendon contains a sesamoid bone).
Action
Flexes the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb.
Nerve supply
Median nerve (C8 and T1) to superficial head; ulnar nerve to deep head (C8 and T1)
Blood supply
From proximal to distal the muscle is supplied by the superficial palmar branch of the radial artery, the princeps pollicis artery, and the radialis indicis artery.
Latin
Musculus flexor pollicis brevis
French
Muscle court fléchisseur du pouce