This lab is all about the bones of the shoulder, arm, forearm, wrist, and hand. On real bones and models you will name each bone, point to its landmarks, and decide whether a loose bone came from the left or the right side. This review teaches each bone with a "where it is / how to spot it" table, drills every landmark with numbered pins, and finishes with a timed practical. Lab Exam 2 follows Labs 4–7, so this material carries forward.
Your lab manual wins. Lab sections vary in which models, slides, and terms they use. If anything here differs from your lab handout or what your instructor emphasized, go with your lab material and tell your tutor so this review can be updated.
Pectoral Girdle
Each pectoral girdle is two bones: the clavicle (collarbone) in front and the scapula (shoulder blade) behind. The clavicle is the girdle's only bony link to the axial skeleton (at the sternoclavicular joint); the scapula is held to the trunk mostly by muscle. That loose attachment buys the shoulder its huge range of motion. Throughout this lab, "left" and "right" always mean the specimen's left and right, as if the bone were still in a body standing in anatomical position — not your left and right as you look at it.
| Structure | Where it is | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|
| Sternal end | Medial end; joins the manubrium (sternoclavicular joint) | Blunt, rounded, roughly triangular end |
| Acromial end | Lateral end; joins the acromion (acromioclavicular joint) | Broad and flattened, like a spatula |
| Conoid tubercle | Inferior surface, near the acromial end, on the posterior edge | Small knob on the rough underside (attachment for the conoid part of the coracoclavicular ligament) |
| Costal tuberosity | Inferior surface, near the sternal end | Rough patch (attachment for the costoclavicular ligament to rib 1) |
| Superior vs. inferior surface | Top vs. underside | Superior surface is smooth; the inferior surface is rough and grooved |
| Structure | Where it is | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|
| Acromion | Lateral end of the spine; top of the shoulder | Flat, wide process that arches over the glenoid cavity; meets the clavicle |
| Coracoid process | Superior border, lateral to the suprascapular notch | Finger-like hook that points anteriorly; seen from the front or side, not well from behind |
| Glenoid cavity | Lateral angle | Shallow, pear-shaped socket for the head of the humerus (Martini: glenoid cavity; some manuals say glenoid fossa) |
| Supraglenoid / infraglenoid tubercles | Just above / just below the glenoid cavity | Small bumps; biceps brachii (long head) attaches above, triceps brachii (long head) below |
| Spine of scapula | Posterior surface, upper third | Sharp ridge running from the medial border up to the acromion |
| Supraspinous fossa | Posterior surface, above the spine | Small depression |
| Infraspinous fossa | Posterior surface, below the spine | Large depression (largest area on the back of the blade) |
| Subscapular fossa | Entire anterior (costal) surface | Broad, slightly concave surface facing the ribs; faint oblique ridges |
| Suprascapular notch | Superior border, medial to the coracoid base | Small U-shaped notch in the top edge |
| Borders | Superior, medial (vertebral), lateral (axillary) | Medial border is long and thin and parallels the vertebral column; lateral border is thick and runs toward the armpit |
| Angles | Superior, inferior, lateral | Inferior angle = bottom point of the triangle; lateral angle carries the glenoid cavity |
Label It · Clavicle & anterior scapula
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Label It · Posterior & lateral scapula
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Arm
The humerus is the only bone of the arm (brachium). Learn it in three zones. The proximal end has the head, two necks, two tubercles, and the groove between them. The shaft has the deltoid tuberosity laterally and the radial groove on the back. The distal end carries the two articular surfaces (capitulum laterally, trochlea medially), the two epicondyles, and three fossae that make room for forearm bones when the elbow bends and straightens.
| Structure | Where it is | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Proximal, faces medially (and a little posteriorly) | Smooth half-ball; fits the glenoid cavity |
| Anatomical neck | Rim right around the head | Slight groove at the edge of the smooth articular surface |
| Surgical neck | Just distal to the tubercles | Narrowing where head region meets shaft; common fracture site |
| Greater tubercle | Lateral side of the proximal end | Large bump; forms the lateral edge of the shoulder |
| Lesser tubercle | Anterior side of the proximal end, medial to the groove | Smaller bump facing forward |
| Intertubercular sulcus | Between the two tubercles, anterior | Vertical groove (also called the intertubercular or bicipital groove) for the biceps tendon |
| Deltoid tuberosity | Lateral side, mid-shaft | Rough raised area where the deltoid inserts |
| Radial groove | Posterior shaft, angled downward and laterally | Shallow oblique groove for the radial nerve (also called the spiral groove) |
| Capitulum | Distal end, lateral, anterior | Rounded knob; meets the head of the radius |
| Trochlea | Distal end, medial | Spool (pulley) shape; meets the trochlear notch of the ulna |
| Medial / lateral epicondyles | Sides of the distal end | Medial is the larger, more pointed one ("funny bone" side) |
| Coronoid fossa / radial fossa | Anterior, above the trochlea / above the capitulum | Shallow dents that take the coronoid process / radial head in elbow flexion |
| Olecranon fossa | Posterior, above the trochlea | Deep pit that takes the olecranon in elbow extension |
Match the partners: capitulum ↔ head of the radius; trochlea ↔ trochlear notch of the ulna; coronoid fossa ↔ coronoid process (elbow flexed); olecranon fossa ↔ olecranon (elbow extended); radial fossa ↔ head of the radius (elbow flexed). If you can name the partner, you can usually name the landmark.
Label It · Humerus
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Forearm
The forearm (antebrachium) has two bones side by side. In anatomical position (palms forward) the radius is lateral, on the thumb side, and the ulna is medial, on the little-finger side. They are joined along their shafts by the interosseous membrane and meet each other at the proximal and distal radioulnar joints.
| Clue | Radius | Ulna |
|---|---|---|
| Side in anatomical position | Lateral (thumb side) | Medial (little-finger side) |
| Bigger end | Distal (wrist) | Proximal (elbow) |
| "Head" is at the... | Proximal end (disc) | Distal end (small knob) |
| Meets the humerus at the... | Capitulum | Trochlea |
| Distinctive feature | Radial tuberosity; wide distal end with styloid | Olecranon + trochlear notch ("wrench" shape) |
| Structure | Bone | Where it is / how to identify it |
|---|---|---|
| Olecranon | Ulna | Big proximal hook; the point of the elbow; fits the olecranon fossa |
| Trochlear notch | Ulna | C-shaped (semilunar) notch facing anteriorly; wraps around the trochlea |
| Coronoid process | Ulna | Lower lip of the trochlear notch; projects anteriorly |
| Radial notch | Ulna | Small smooth facet on the lateral side of the coronoid process; the radial head spins in it |
| Head of ulna | Ulna | Small knob at the distal end (wrist), medial side |
| Styloid process of ulna | Ulna | Short spike, posteromedial on the distal end |
| Head of radius | Radius | Disc-shaped, at the proximal end; its top is cupped to meet the capitulum |
| Neck of radius | Radius | Narrow part just below the head |
| Radial tuberosity | Radius | Rough bump on the medial side below the neck; biceps brachii inserts here |
| Ulnar notch | Radius | Shallow notch on the medial side of the distal radius; the head of the ulna fits here |
| Styloid process of radius | Radius | Pointed lateral (thumb-side) tip of the distal radius; reaches farther distally than the ulnar styloid |
| Interosseous membrane | Between both | Sheet of dense connective tissue joining the shafts |
Label It · Radius & ulna
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Wrist & Hand
The hand skeleton has 27 bones: 8 carpals (wrist), 5 metacarpals (palm), and 14 phalanges (fingers). Read the carpals in two rows, always from lateral (thumb side) to medial. A common mnemonic: "Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle" — scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform (proximal row), then trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate (distal row). Trapezium goes with the thumb.
| Group | Bones | Where / how to identify |
|---|---|---|
| Carpals (8), proximal row | Scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform (lateral → medial) | Scaphoid = boat-shaped, on the thumb side, meets the radius; lunate = moon-shaped, next to it; triquetrum = pyramid-shaped; pisiform = small pea on the palmar surface of the triquetrum |
| Carpals, distal row | Trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate (lateral → medial) | Trapezium sits under the thumb metacarpal; trapezoid is small and wedge-shaped; capitate is the largest, central bone; hamate has a palmar hook |
| Metacarpals (5) | Numbered I–V from the thumb | Long bones of the palm; each has a base (proximal), shaft, and head (the knuckle) |
| Phalanges (14) | Proximal, middle, distal | Fingers II–V have three each; the thumb (pollex) has only proximal and distal |
Model tips: the scaphoid and lunate are the two carpals that meet the radius. The pisiform and the hook of the hamate are both on the palmar side, so if you can see them you are looking at the palm. Metacarpals are numbered I–V starting from the thumb; the knuckles you make with a fist are the metacarpal heads. The singular of phalanges is phalanx; "pollex" is the thumb.
Label It · Hand
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Left or Right?
Left and right are always the specimen's sides, judged as if the bone were in a body in anatomical position. Use the same two steps every time: (1) find the view — which surface is anterior and which is superior — then (2) point one landmark to the side it belongs on (the humeral head and glenoid cavity point toward or away from the midline; the thumb and radius are lateral). The safest check on a real bone is to hold it against your own body in anatomical position and see which side it fits.
| Bone | Step 1: find the view (front or back) | Step 2: point a landmark to the correct side |
|---|---|---|
| Clavicle | Smooth surface up; rough surface (conoid tubercle, costal tuberosity) down | Flat acromial end goes lateral; the medial two-thirds bows anteriorly. The conoid tubercle sits on the posterior edge. |
| Scapula | Spine visible = posterior view; smooth subscapular fossa = anterior view | The glenoid cavity points laterally. Posterior view of a right scapula: glenoid on the viewer's right. |
| Humerus | Intertubercular sulcus, coronoid fossa = anterior; deep olecranon fossa = posterior | The head points medially. Anterior view of a right humerus: head on the viewer's right; capitulum on the viewer's left. |
| Ulna | Trochlear notch opens anteriorly | Hold it with the olecranon up and the trochlear notch facing anteriorly: the radial notch then faces laterally (toward the thumb side). Whichever of your own forearms it matches in that position is its side. |
| Radius | Radial tuberosity faces anteromedially; distal end is flat in front, ridged behind | The styloid process is lateral and the ulnar notch is medial. |
| Hand | Palmar view shows the pisiform and the hook of the hamate | The thumb is lateral. Palmar view of a right hand: thumb on the viewer's left. |
Watch the trap: a posterior view of a right humerus and an anterior view of a left humerus both have the head on the viewer's left. The view decides the answer — so always find an anterior marker (intertubercular sulcus, coronoid fossa, capitulum) or a posterior marker (deep olecranon fossa, radial groove) first.
Check Yourself
Two tries per question. The explanation appears after you answer.
Rapid Recall
Say the answer out loud, then tap the card to check. Shuffle and go again until every card is automatic.
Practical Simulation
This runs like a real lab practical: one pinned structure or question per station, a timer, and you type the answer — no word bank. Each attempt draws 22 stations at random from a pool of 67 covering the clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, and hand, plus left/right calls. Spell names fully; common alternate names (for example "bicipital groove," "glenoid fossa," or "axillary border") are accepted.
22 stations · 50 seconds each · stations come in random order every attempt.
| # | Station | Your answer | Correct |
|---|
Watch Out
| The mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Swapping the acromion and the coracoid process. | Acromion = the lateral end of the spine, on top of the shoulder (meets the clavicle). Coracoid = the hook pointing anteriorly; you see it best from the front or side. |
| Mixing up the coronoid process (ulna) and the coronoid fossa (humerus). | A process sticks out; a fossa is a dent. The ulna's coronoid process drops into the humerus's coronoid fossa when the elbow bends. |
| Swapping capitulum and trochlea. | Capitulum is lateral and round (meets the radius). Trochlea is medial and spool-shaped (meets the ulna). |
| Swapping radial notch and ulnar notch. | Each notch is named for the bone that fits into it: the radial notch is on the ulna; the ulnar notch is on the radius. |
| Calling the radial head "the head of the ulna" (or the reverse). | Radius head = proximal disc at the elbow. Ulna head = small distal knob at the wrist. |
| Writing "anatomical neck" for the surgical neck. | Anatomical neck hugs the head. Surgical neck is lower, below both tubercles. |
| Mixing up trapezium and trapezoid. | Trapezium = thumb side, under metacarpal I. Trapezoid is the small wedge next to it, under metacarpal II. |
| Calling left/right from your own point of view. | Use the specimen's side. Find the view first (anterior or posterior), then point a landmark (humeral head and glenoid face medially/laterally; thumb and radius are lateral). |
| Misspelling on the practical (olecranon, capitulum, triquetrum, glenoid, acromion). | Write the names out by hand a few times. Many practicals deduct for spelling. |
Cheat Sheet
Print it or screenshot it for a last look before the lab.
| Topic | Know this |
|---|---|
| Pectoral girdle | Clavicle + scapula; clavicle is the only bony link to the axial skeleton (sternoclavicular joint) |
| Clavicle | Sternal end (rounded, medial), acromial end (flat, lateral), conoid tubercle and costal tuberosity on the rough inferior surface |
| Scapula: processes | Spine → acromion (lateral end); coracoid process (anterior hook); glenoid cavity at the lateral angle |
| Scapula: fossae | Supraspinous (above spine), infraspinous (below spine), subscapular (anterior surface) |
| Scapula: edges | Superior border with suprascapular notch; medial (vertebral) and lateral (axillary) borders; superior, inferior, lateral angles |
| Glenoid tubercles | Supraglenoid (biceps long head) above, infraglenoid (triceps long head) below |
| Humerus: proximal | Head (faces medially), anatomical neck, greater tubercle (lateral), lesser tubercle (anterior), intertubercular sulcus, surgical neck |
| Humerus: shaft | Deltoid tuberosity (lateral), radial groove (posterior) |
| Humerus: distal | Capitulum (lateral → radius), trochlea (medial → ulna), medial and lateral epicondyles; coronoid and radial fossae (anterior), olecranon fossa (posterior) |
| Ulna | Olecranon, trochlear notch, coronoid process, radial notch; distal head and styloid process |
| Radius | Proximal head and neck, radial tuberosity; distal ulnar notch and styloid process (lateral) |
| Carpals (8) | Proximal: scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform. Distal: trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate (lateral → medial) |
| Metacarpals and phalanges | Metacarpals I–V from the thumb; 14 phalanges (proximal, middle, distal; thumb lacks a middle) |
| Left vs. right | Specimen's side. Find the view, then: humeral head medial, glenoid lateral, radius and thumb lateral, flat clavicle end lateral |
Debrief
You have now worked through every bone of the pectoral girdle and upper limb, landmark by landmark. Run the practical until you clear 90% twice in a row, then move on to Lab 7, where the same approach takes you through the lower limb and the knee joint.
💭 Before the real thing: run the practical simulation until you score 90% or better twice in a row. Then do it once with the timer on.