Muscle · Elbow

Flexor digitorum superficialis

Musculus flexor digitorum superficialis

The larger of the two long finger flexors, lying in a layer of its own between the superficial wrist flexors and the deep muscles. It bends the middle knuckle of each finger, and because each finger has its own slip it can curl one finger largely independently of the rest. Its four tendons pass through the carpal tunnel, where they are the bulk that shares that tight space with the median nerve — which is why a hand that does heavy repetitive gripping is a hand at risk of tunnel symptoms.