The fingers are the limbs on the upper extremities of the human body. They serve various purposes and functions. Disorders of the fingers can also occur.
What are fingers?
Schematic diagram showing the anatomy and structure of the finger. Click to enlarge. Fingers are the five limbs on each hand. The technical term is digitus. Each finger consists of three limbs or supporting elements, with the thumb being an exception. It has only two phalanges (finger phalanges). The fingers have gesticular functions, but also serve to grasp, support and hold things. In animals, the fingers are called claws or talons. The counterpart to the finger on the lower extremities are the toes, although these are much less developed than the fingers. The fingers can be affected by various diseases. In addition to rheumatism, gout, and arthritic conditions, fractures and cuts are common ailments of the fingers. In addition, tumors and specific diseases can occur in the fingers.
Anatomy and structure
Every healthy person has five fingers on each hand. These are the thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger. The fingers themselves can be divided into different sections. At the end of each finger is the fingertip or fingertip berry, which is used for personal identification due to its uniqueness. About 700 touch and pressure receptors end in the fingertip. The area is also particularly well supplied with blood and has an extremely large number of sensory nerve cells. The fingernail is located on the upper side of the fingertip. In addition to the fingernails, each finger has three individual limbs. The exception here is only the thumb, which consists of only two limbs. Within the fingers run tendons, nerve cells and bones.
Function and tasks
As a component of the human hand, the fingers have a variety of tasks in everyday life. For example, they are responsible for grasping, holding and moving objects. Without the fingers, the hand could only act in a very limited way and could not perform complex movements. In addition, the fingers are responsible for feeling and touching things. Especially for blind people, the tactile function of the fingers is essential. Gestures can also be performed with the fingers. The fingers are therefore used for communication and are part of various signal languages such as sign language. The complex movement patterns that are possible with the fingers enable a variety of different gestures. An important function of the fingers is also writing. The fingers enable the grasping of pens and can be moved sensitively enough to write down symbols. Accordingly, the fingers are also important for various creative activities. In earlier times, the hand itself made it possible to hunt and kill animals. Today, too, it is important for the supply of food. To a limited extent, the nails on the fingertips are still a defensive tool today.
Diseases and ailments
The fingers can become diseased in different ways. Often, however, the diseases and complaints are not directly related to the fingers, but are due to the hands. For example, dupuytren’s disease, which is triggered in the ball of the hand but spreads to the fingers. These become crooked and as a result can no longer be moved or can only be moved in a very limited radius. The medical profession describes the complaints as growths of the fascia tissue. Another disease of the fingers is the so-called carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a pressure damage of the nerves in the fingers. This causes severe tingling, numbness and sometimes pain. Cuts, fractures or other injuries can also damage nerves in the fingers. In the worst case, this can result in paralysis of the affected finger. In addition, the hands and thus also the fingers can be affected by rheumatic diseases. In particular, tendons, cartilage and joints are affected and hurt very much during the disease. In addition, the ability to move is restricted. Furthermore, the so-called fast finger can occur. This is a sudden and uncontrolled jerking of the finger. This can also cause pain. The discomfort occurs due to constricted rings in the fingers.The flexor tendons run through these, which become irritated when there is a lack of space. Finally, so-called giant cell tumors can occur in the finger. These finger tumors often appear at the middle joint and can be removed relatively easily. If no action is taken, there is a risk that they will grow into the bone and possibly spread further. Fine motor skills can also be affected by damage to the nerves. In some cases, giant cell tumors are also the result of an enchondroma. This is a tumor in the bone that can only be removed with radiation therapy.
