metacarpalmetatarsal

Metacarpalmetatarsal is a nonstandard anatomical term that would describe an articulation between metacarpal bones of the hand and metatarsal bones of the foot. In human anatomy there is no direct metacarpal–metatarsal joint. The standard joints involving these bones occur within the hand and within the foot, not between them.

In the hand, the main articulations are the carpometacarpal joints, between carpal bones and metacarpals, and the metacarpophalangeal joints, between metacarpals and the proximal phalanges. In the foot, the principal joints include the tarsometatarsal joints, between tarsal bones and metatarsals, and the metatarsophalangeal joints, between metatarsals and the proximal phalanges. There is no widely recognized metacarpalmetatarsal articulation in standard anatomical nomenclature.

Etymology-wise, the term combines metacarpal (hand) and metatarsal (foot). If encountered in literature, it is often the result of a terminological error or a discussion framed in comparative anatomy or embryology, rather than a description of an actual joint in the adult human. In practice, diagnoses and surgical planning reference the established hand and foot joints (carpometacarpal, metacarpophalangeal, tarsometatarsal, metatarsophalangeal) rather than a metacarpalmetatarsal articulation.

See also: metacarpals, metatarsals, carpometacarpal joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, tarsometatarsal joints, metatarsophalangeal joints.