Adductor Pollicis

• Click here for access to the full Anatomy Glossary.
• Right click on the image for a downloadable file of this muscle.
• Use of this artwork requires proper credit to be given (Permission: Dr. Joe Muscolino. www.learnmuscles.com – art work Giovanni Rimasti)

The Adductor Pollicis is a member of the Central Compartment Group of intrinsic muscles of the hand, composed of the:

• Adductor pollicis
• Lumbricals manus
• Palmar interossei
• Dorsal interossei manus

The Adductor Pollicis has two heads: Oblique head and Transverse head.

ATTACHMENTS:

• The adductor pollicis attaches from the third metacarpal to the proximal phalanx of the thumb.
  • The oblique head attaches onto the second and third metacarpals.
  • The transverse head attaches onto only the third metacarpal.
  • The adductor pollicis also attaches distally into the dorsal digital expansion.

ACTIONS:

• Adducts the thumb at the carpometacarpal joint.
• Flexes the thumb at the carpometacarpal and metacarpophalangeal joints.

NOTE: There is a sesamoid bone located in the distal tendon of the oblique head of the adductor pollicis.