The hands of humans are considered very useful and practical for various tasks and every day things. Many animals may only have forelimbs but their hands or paws are not as functional as humans. The closest to human hands in terms of functionality are those of apes. Aside from being functional, there are actually interesting facts about hands and below are some of them:

Fact 1: At least 1/3 of all acute injuries and accidents involve the upper extremities, with the hands included. This is basically due to the various functions and activities that people do with their hands.

Fact 2: A quarter of injuries among athletes involve the hands and wrists. With athletes, the hands play the most important role especially in sports that require holding a ball or racket for example.

Fact 3: There are no muscles in all five fingers of the hand. All the muscles that control the fingers are situated in the palm and forearm areas. These muscles are connected to the bones of the hands via tendons.

Fact 4: The thumb alone is controlled by 9 muscles originating from the palm, wrist, and forearm area. The thumb in human hands performs more than half of the total activities and these require various muscles that come from different areas. Some muscles work to produce the actual movement while others help stabilize the thumb and the wrist.

Fact 5: Hands are needed to master a skill. As children, people are taught to use their hands to acquire skills like writing for example. In this activity, lots of practice using the hand is needed in order to master it. This is also the same with proper use of a spoon and a fork during eating. Muscles in the hand need to be coordinated to produce the desired movement.

Fact 6: Webbed fingers are more common in white children while black children are more common to have extra digits or fingers. These are based on birth data in the US.

Fact 7: The fingernails at the tip of human hands have no nerve endings. This explains why people can’t feel anything when their nails are cut. Only the skin beneath the nails is able to feel sensations.

Fact 8: Hands can be used for talking. Figuratively speaking, people who are deaf and mute for example use their hands for talking and communicating with others. With the use of various hand gestures, they can effectively communicate with each other and other people. Many normal people also use their arms and hands when talking or speaking.

Fact 9: Different fingers of the hands are adorned with rings for different reasons. The ring finger for example is commonly used for wedding and engagement rings. Some people also use thumb rings to project authority.

Fact 10: Some people amputate their fingers for a particular purpose. Some Native Americans and Africans during the ancient times for example remove part or the whole finger as a symbol of mourning. The amputation of the whole hand is also practiced by early cultures as a form of punishment for thieves.