Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025

An Anatomical Study of Nerves at Risk During Minimally Invasive Hallux Valgus Surgery
Published on: February 17, 2018
Distribution of nerve endings in human thumb interphalangeal joint
Baver Acar1, Melih Unal1, Hasan May1
1Medical Faculty, Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Health Sciences, Antalya, Turkey.
None:
This study aims to quantitatively analyze the distribution of encapsulated nerve endings in the human thumb interphalangeal (IP) joint capsule. There are three types of nerve endings. Type-I nerve endings (Ruffini-like ending) sense pressure changes, Type II (Pacini-like ending) nerve endings contribute to the kinesthetic sense, and Type III (Golgi-like ending) nerve ending provides proprioceptive information. We dissected five right thumbs IP joints from freshly frozen cadavers (5 men). The mean age of the cadavers at the time of death was 63.4 years (55-73). Sections were stained with the hematoxylin-eosin and antiprotein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) to identify encapsulated nerve endings. Transverse sections were cut and divided into volar, dorsal, and then into two equal parts, proximal and distal. The density of encapsulated nerve endings compared to volar versus dorsal and proximal versus distal regions was examined. This study showed that type 1 nerve endings were more common in the distal parts of the IP joint (p < 0.05). Also, type 3 nerve endings were observed in the thumb IP joint. There was no difference between regions in type II and type III nerve endings. The current study demonstrates that the distribution of encapsulated nerve endings in the IP joint is different from the PIP and DIP joints. Moreover, further studies are required to understand the thumb's physiology.
Related Concept Videos
Spinal Nerves: Plexus I
The Cervical Plexus
The cervical plexus, formed by the anterior rami of the first four...
Muscles of the Forearm that Move the Hand and Fingers
Anterior Compartment
The anterior compartment muscles originate from the humerus. They primarily function as flexors and are also known as flexor muscles. They typically insert on the carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges. The superficial layer includes the flexor carpi...
Somatosensation
Bones of the Upper Limb: Radius
The radius has a nail-shaped head, and a...
Bones of the Upper Limb: Ulna
Sensory Functions of the Skin
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...

