Opponens pollicis muscle

The Musculus opponens pollicis (Latin for " counter- plate of the thumb " ) is one of the muscles of the thenar eminence. In domestic animals the muscle does not occur.

Function

The whole lateral side of the base of the thumb ( thenar ) located musculus opponens pollicis rotate the thumb toward the palm of the hand and makes it so that the remaining fingers over (so-called opposition). This makes the hand of man ( in conjunction with the adjacent medial flexor pollicis brevis ) for gripping hand.

This is made possible by the special anatomy of the thumb ( pollex ). The proximal articulation carpometacarpale functions as a saddle joint with two-dimensional motion. The thumb is shorter than the other phalanges and has because of the two base joints of only two free-standing bone elements (→ wrist).

• Skeletal muscle of the upper limb