Oblique head of adductor pollicis at a glance
- What it is
- The larger head of adductor pollicis in the palm.
- Location
- Origin: capitate and bases of the 2nd and 3rd metacarpals. Insertion: medial side of the base of the proximal phalanx of the thumb.
- Function
- Adducts the thumb, important for pinch and grip.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA46121 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: deep branch of the ulnar nerve (C8–T1)
- Blood supply: deep palmar arch
Clinical relevance
Ulnar nerve palsy weakens thumb adduction (positive Froment sign).
Structures next to the oblique head of adductor pollicis
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Flexor pollicis brevis · muscular
- Extensor indicis · muscular
- Superficial head of flexor pollicis brevis · muscular
- First metacarpal bone · skeletal
- Abductor pollicis brevis · muscular
- Opponens pollicis · muscular
- Transverse head of adductor pollicis · muscular
- Palmar metacarpal artery · cardiovascular
- Trapezoid · skeletal
- Second metacarpal bone · skeletal
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Oblique head of adductor pollicis (FMA46121). 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.