Musculoskeletal / VISUAL EXPLAINER
What Shares the Carpal Tunnel at Your Wrist?
Carpal bones and the transverse carpal ligament bound a passage shared by the median nerve and nine flexor tendons. The nerve carries signals, whereas the tendons transmit muscle pull. Sharing a route does not make them the same kind of structure.
READ THE IMAGE
What the illustration shows
Cream-background anatomy poster titled What Shares the Carpal Tunnel? A large conceptual wrist cross-section has the palm side above and back of wrist below. A white transverse carpal ligament forms the roof over a distinct yellow median nerve and nine ivory tendon profiles, shown as two rows of four plus one beside them. A generic carpal bone arch forms the floor and sides. Text identifies four superficial finger flexor tendons, four deep finger flexor tendons and one long thumb flexor tendon. A visible caveat states Conceptual arrangement, not a sectional map. Lower magnified illustrations contrast a yellow fascicular nerve carrying signals with a white collagen tendon transmitting muscle pull. The takeaway reads Shared route. Different jobs. Gold AllHumanBody.com branding and the full slogan appear at the bottom. Shapes, colors and spacing are simplified, not to scale.
How to interpret this poster
- The displayed two rows of four plus one are a count aid, not an exact sectional arrangement; superficial finger-flexor tendons themselves have a more complex normal arrangement.
- Generic carpal arch, colors, sizes, spacing and fascicle/fiber views are illustrative, not a surgical map or micrograph.
- Normal variation exists. No compression, symptoms, tests, treatment or prevention claim; no ulnar nerve or flexor carpi radialis included.
- AI-assisted educational illustration; not physician certification, microscopy, a diagnosis or individualized medical advice.
- Fine annotations need enlargement; the full description provides an accessible text alternative.
- Display the full uncropped illustration; do not trim titles, legends or boundary annotations.
AI-assisted educational illustration, adapted into web-sized images without changing its composition. This is general education, not an individual diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
EVIDENCE / CONTEXT
Sources and what they support
- AAOS OrthoInfo: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ↗
Normal tunnel boundaries and contents.
- AANS: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ↗
Carpal bones, transverse ligament roof, median nerve and nine tendons.
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso: Dissector Answers — Forearm & Wrist ↗
FDS four finger tendons, FDP to digits2–5, thumb FPL and eight digital tendons plus separate thumb tendon beneath retinaculum.