Deep transverse metacarpal ligament

Looks like

Short bands joining the palm plates of the second to fifth knuckles side by side.

What it does

Tie the knuckles together so the hand bones cannot splay apart.

Keeping it well

The finger nerves and arteries run just in front of it; a landmark in hand surgery.

Related conditions

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• De Quervain's tenosynovitis
• Dupuytren's contracture & trigger finger
• Ganglion cyst
• Gout
• Haemophilia & bleeding disorders
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• Lyme disease
• Marfan syndrome & connective tissue disorders
• Osteoarthritis
• Pseudogout (calcium pyrophosphate disease)
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Repetitive strain & overuse injury
• Rheumatic fever & rheumatic heart disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Temporomandibular joint disorder