By Molly Lewis
So many wrist bones, so little time- how to remember them all? Try these mnemonics!
There are about a million mnemonics out there for the bones of your wrist (AKA carpals), some with higher moral standards than others :). Here are two to get you started:
So Long To Pinky, Here Comes The Thumb
- This mnemonic starts with the most lateral bone in the first/ proximal row of carpals, and continues in a circle:
o through the 1st row from lateral to medial, and then through the 2nd row from medial to lateral
- This mnemonic also helps you remember the location of the bones:
o “Pinky” for Pisiform- the Pisiform is by the pinky!
o “Thumb” for Trapezium- the Trapezium is by the thumb!
Bonus mnemonic:
- To keep the “T”s straight, think:
o Triquetrum doesn’t have a bone with a similar name (vs trapezoid and trapezium), so it doesn’t have another T in its row.
o trapeziuM is by the thuMb, so trapezoid isn’t right next to the thumb!
Another excellent option comes courtesy of a firstaidteam.com blog follower: Shreejakb. Thanks for the suggestion!
“She Looks Too Pretty, Try To Catch Her”
Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrum (AKA triquetral), Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate
The major difference between this mnemonic and the one above is the order of the bones.
- Through the proximal row from lateral to medial, then through the distal row from lateral to medial
Bonus mnemonic:
- How to remember that the carpal bones are in the hands, while the tarsal bones are in the feet?
“drive a CAR with your CARpals, and walk on TAR with your TARsals”
I hope you enjoy these mnemonics, and they help you on your anatomy tests! (or for the rest of your life- go ortho!).
If you have another carpal bone mnemonic to share, post it below!
References
- first carpal bones mnemonic: http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/cgi-bin/return_browse.cfm?rowstart=191&numrows=10&discipline_id=1&system_id=All&bodypart_id=All
- second carpal bones mnemonic: firstaidteam.com blog follower: Shreejakb; also online at http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/cgi-bin/return_browse.cfm?&system=Skeletal&bodypart=Upper%20Limb&browse=1
- Carpals vs tarsals mnemonic: my high school Anat/Phys teacher: Ms. Schultz