Extensor carpi radialis brevis at a glance
- What it is
- A wrist extensor in the posterior forearm.
- Location
- Origin: common extensor tendon from the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. Insertion: base of the 3rd metacarpal.
- Function
- Extends and abducts the hand at the wrist, stabilizing the wrist during grip.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA38498 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: deep branch of the radial nerve (C7–C8)
- Its tendon runs with that of extensor carpi radialis longus in the second dorsal compartment of the wrist.
- Blood supply: radial artery and radial recurrent artery
Clinical relevance
Overuse of its origin is associated with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
Structures next to the extensor carpi radialis brevis
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Radius · skeletal
- Extensor carpi radialis longus · muscular
- Anterior interosseous artery · cardiovascular
- Radial vein · cardiovascular
- Extensor carpi ulnaris · muscular
- Ulna · skeletal
- Radial artery · cardiovascular
- Flexor carpi radialis · muscular
- Interosseous membrane of forearm · skeletal
- Ulnar vein · cardiovascular
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Extensor carpi radialis brevis (FMA38498). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
- OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
- Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
Related anatomy
Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.