Muscle · Hand

Abductor digiti minimi

Musculus abductor digiti minimi

The muscle along the outer edge of the palm, forming the ridge you rest on when writing. It spreads the little finger away from the others, which sounds trivial until you notice that it is what widens the hand to wrap a bat, a bar, or a large glass. It is the most superficial of the hypothenar muscles and belongs to the ulnar nerve, so it is spared in carpal tunnel syndrome — a contrast with the thenar pad that is often the quickest way to tell the two nerve problems apart at a glance.