Scaphoid

Function

Boat-shaped wrist bone bridging the proximal and distal rows. The hand's mechanical link-pin: it spans both carpal rows, transmitting load from the radius into the mid-carpal joint while flexing and extending with the wrist's arc.

Landmarks

• Tubercle (palpable at the base of the thenar eminence)
• Waist (felt in the anatomical snuffbox)
• Proximal pole

Articulations (joints)

• Radius
• Lunate
• Capitate
• Trapezium
• Trapezoid

Clinical relevance

The most frequently fractured carpal — classically a fall onto the outstretched hand. Because its blood supply enters distally, the proximal pole is prone to avascular necrosis and non-union; tenderness in the anatomical snuffbox demands imaging.