General Concepts of Wrist Biomechanics and a View from Other Species

The carpus is one of the most complex joints in the extremities both in respect of its structure and its mechanics. In this article, an overview of the structural and biomechanical characteristics of the human carpus is presented first, followed by the author’s observations on the structural characteristics of the carpal equivalents of a variety of animal species compared with those of the human carpus. Finally, the implications of these observations for the functional reconstruction of the hand are outlined.

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