14 phalanges in each hand and each foot
Each hand has 14 phalanges and each foot 14, so the two hands and feet hold 56 in all. The thumb and the big toe have two, proximal and distal, and every other finger and toe has three: proximal, middle and distal. The distal phalanges support the nails.
Frequently asked questions
Is the thumb the only digit with two phalanges?
In the hand, yes, and in the foot it is the big toe: these two lack a middle phalanx. Every other finger and toe has three.
Is it true that the little toe has only two bones?
Textbooks count three. In quite a few people, however, the middle and distal phalanges of the little toe are fused into one.
What are the finger joints called?
The joint between a metacarpal and the first phalanx is the metacarpophalangeal joint, and the joints between phalanges are interphalangeal joints: one in the thumb and two in each other finger.
The bones counted
- Proximal phalanx of thumb
- Distal phalanx of thumb
- Middle phalanx of index finger
- Proximal phalanx of big toe
- Middle phalanx of second toe
Related counts
Other bone counts
- Bones in the human body
- Axial and appendicular skeleton
- Bones of the skull
- Bones of the spine
- Cervical vertebrae
- Thoracic vertebrae
- Lumbar vertebrae
- Number of ribs
- Bones of the arm
- Carpal bones
- Bones of the leg
- Tarsal bones
- Bones of the pelvis
Skeleton
Read more
Related reading
- Sarcopenia: what to measure, and what to do, when muscle and strength decline
- What getting up from a chair says about how your body is ageing
- Why ageing bone marrow turns to fat, and a PEMF study in mice
- PEMF and whole-body vibration: two rhythms that reach the body
- Myokines: the signals working muscle sends to the body
- Ageing parents: the changes families notice first
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