BoneLong bone
Distal phalanx of the index
Latin: Phalanx distalis sinistra
Location: Hand — digits
Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.
View the distal phalanx of the index in 3DFunction
The fingertip's tufted bone — its palmar roughness anchors the flexor digitorum profundus and its nail bed rides the dorsal surface.
Landmarks
- Base
- Shaft
- Head
- Palmar ridge (flexor sheath)
Articulations (joints)
- Middle phalanx of the index
- Tendinous attachments only (distal tuft)
Clinical relevance
Mallet finger — an avulsed extensor insertion at the distal phalanx's dorsal base — droops the fingertip after ball strikes.
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.