In the palm of the hand

Hand

A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...

 the median nerve

Median nerve

The median nerve is a nerve in humans and other animals. It is in the upper limb. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus....

 is covered by the skin and the palmar aponeurosis

Palmar aponeurosis

The palmar aponeurosis invests the muscles of the palm, and consists of central, lateral, and medial portions.-Central portion:The central portion occupies the middle of the palm, is triangular in shape, and of great strength and thickness....

, and rests on the tendons of the Flexor muscles. Immediately after emerging from under the transverse carpal ligament the median nerve

Median nerve

The median nerve is a nerve in humans and other animals. It is in the upper limb. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus....

 becomes enlarged and flattened and splits into a smaller, lateral, and a larger, medial portion.

The lateral portion supplies a short, stout branch to certain of the muscles of the ball of the thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

, viz., the Abductor brevis, the Opponens

Opponens

Opponens can refer to:* Opponens digiti minimi muscle* Opponens pollicis muscle...

, and the superficial head of the Flexor brevis, and then divides into three proper palmar digital nerves of median nerve (proper volar digital nerves):

• two of these supply the sides of the thumb,
• while the third gives a twig to the first Lumbricalis
  Lumbricalis
  -Species Latin names:* Amphisbaena lumbricalis, Vanzolini, 1996, a worm lizard species in the genus Amphisbaena* Asteriacites lumbricalis, a five-rayed fossil found in rocks : see Asteriacites...
  
   and is distributed to the radial side of the index finger.

It also divides into two common palmar digital nerves:

• The first of these divides into two proper digital nerves for the adjoining sides of the index
  Index finger
  The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...
  
   and middle finger
  Middle finger
  The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...
  
  s;

• the second common palmar digital nerve splits into two proper digital nerves for the adjoining sides of the third and forth digits;

Each proper digital nerve, opposite the base of the first phalanx, gives off a dorsal branch which joins the dorsal digital nerve

Dorsal digital nerve

Dorsal digital nerve can refer to:* Dorsal digital nerves of radial nerve* Dorsal digital nerves of ulnar nerve...

 from the superficial branch of the radial nerve

Superficial branch of the radial nerve

The superficial branch of the radial nerve passes along the front of the radial side of the forearm to the commencement of its lower third.It lies at first slightly lateral to the radial artery, concealed beneath the Brachioradialis. In the middle third of the forearm, it lies behind the same...

, and supplies the integument on the dorsal aspect of the last phalanx.

At the end of the digit, the proper digital nerve divides into two branches,

• one of which supplies the pulp of the finger,
• the other ramifies around and beneath the nail.

The proper digital nerves, as they run along the fingers, are placed superficial to the corresponding arteries.