The proper palmar digital arteries travel along the sides of the

phalanges The phalanges (singular: ''phalanx'' ) are digital bones in the hands and feet of most vertebrates. In primates, the thumbs and big toes have two phalanges while the other digits have three phalanges. The phalanges are classed as long bones ...

(along the contiguous sides of the index, middle, ring, and little

finger A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers (Pentadactyly). Chambers 1 ...

s), each artery lying just below (

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

to) its corresponding digital nerve. Alternative names for these arteries are: proper volar digital arteries, collateral digital arteries, arteriae digitales palmares propriae, or aa. digitales volares propriae.Again, ''palmar'' and ''volar'' may be used synonymously, but ''aa. digitales volares propriae'' does not occur in the TA, and can therefore be considered deprecated. They anastomose freely in the

subcutaneous tissue The subcutaneous tissue (), also called the hypodermis, hypoderm (), subcutis, superficial fascia, is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. The types of cells found in the layer are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and mac ...

of the finger tips and by smaller branches near the interphalangeal joints. Each also gives off a couple of dorsal branches which anastomose with the dorsal digital arteries, and supply the soft parts on the back of the second and third

, including the matrix of the

fingernail A nail is a claw-like plate found at the tip of the fingers and toes on most primates. Nails correspond to the claws found in other animals. Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough protective protein called alpha-keratin, which is a polyme ...

. The proper palmar digital artery for the medial side of the

little finger The little finger, or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger. Etymology The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''pi ...

arises directly from the

ulnar artery The ulnar artery is the main blood vessel, with oxygenated blood, of the medial aspects of the forearm. It arises from the brachial artery and terminates in the superficial palmar arch, which joins with the superficial branch of the radial a ...

deep to the

palmaris brevis Palmaris brevis muscle is a thin, quadrilateral muscle, placed beneath the integument of the ulnar side of the hand. It acts to fold the skin of the hypothenar eminence transversally. Structure Origin and insertion Palmaris brevis muscle is lo ...

muscle, but the rest arise from the

common palmar digital arteries Three common palmar digital arteries arise from the convexity of the superficial palmar arch and proceed distally on the second, third, and fourth lumbricales muscles. Alternative names for these arteries are: common volar digital arteries, ulna ...

See also

Footnotes and references

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