Puttmad
The curling of the fingers is NOT active (deliberate) when the hand is at rest. Note that the 5th finger is more curled than the 4th, which is more curled than the 3rd, which is more curled than the 2nd. This is the normal finger cascade seen in a relaxed hand at rest.
Secondly, the position of the thumb doesn't affect the finger curling or tendency of the wrist to be slightly dorsiflexed at rest. The reason why the fingers are flexed at rest is due to normal tone in the flexor digitorum muscles that flex the fingers. Check this phenomenon by turning the forearm so that the front of the forearm (forearm ventrum) faces the sky, keep the elbow bent at right angles, and then squeeze the flexor digitorm muscles (the large muscle bulk just below the elbow). Note how the fingers flex more (especially the 4th and 5th fingers).
At rest, the muscle tone in the flexor digitorum muscles (that flex the fingers) is greater than the tone in the extensor digitorum muscles (that extend the fingers) found on the back of the forearm, because their muscle bulk is greater. That's why the fingers are curled at rest.
When one grips a club very lightly, finger flexion increases but it shouldn't flatten the wrist unless the grip is tight. When the fingers are maximally flexed, they not only flex the middle and end interphalangeal joints (the flexor digitorum tendons attach to the base of the last phalanx [3rd phalanx] of each finger), they also start to flex the fingers at the metacarpo-phalangeal joint area and this flattens the wrist.
Jeff.
The curling of the fingers is NOT active (deliberate) when the hand is at rest. Note that the 5th finger is more curled than the 4th, which is more curled than the 3rd, which is more curled than the 2nd. This is the normal finger cascade seen in a relaxed hand at rest.
Secondly, the position of the thumb doesn't affect the finger curling or tendency of the wrist to be slightly dorsiflexed at rest. The reason why the fingers are flexed at rest is due to normal tone in the flexor digitorum muscles that flex the fingers. Check this phenomenon by turning the forearm so that the front of the forearm (forearm ventrum) faces the sky, keep the elbow bent at right angles, and then squeeze the flexor digitorm muscles (the large muscle bulk just below the elbow). Note how the fingers flex more (especially the 4th and 5th fingers).
At rest, the muscle tone in the flexor digitorum muscles (that flex the fingers) is greater than the tone in the extensor digitorum muscles (that extend the fingers) found on the back of the forearm, because their muscle bulk is greater. That's why the fingers are curled at rest.
When one grips a club very lightly, finger flexion increases but it shouldn't flatten the wrist unless the grip is tight. When the fingers are maximally flexed, they not only flex the middle and end interphalangeal joints (the flexor digitorum tendons attach to the base of the last phalanx [3rd phalanx] of each finger), they also start to flex the fingers at the metacarpo-phalangeal joint area and this flattens the wrist.
Jeff.
