# Can't touch pinky to thumb. Am I broken? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101 "2006-04-03T17:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/21 "2012-07-09T22:09:36Z")
> [@Belrix](#): > > I can’t touch my pinky finger to my thumb anymore…[snip] Is this age & stiffness or is something out of whack? Have you checked the thermostat? Being unable to touch one’s pinky with one’s thumb is a classic field indicator of hypothermia 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![steelpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@steelpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steelpig)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/22 "2012-07-13T22:06:03Z")
failing a preliminary DUI test Now that I did not know. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll just whip out my laptop and show the cop this thread. And hope he’s no dope. ---
**Author:** ![JoeyMac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@JoeyMac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyMac)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/23 "2014-09-02T16:16:22Z")
> [@steelpig](#): > > Hey, thanks for the reply Panach. My quest continues. I guess my destiny simply never includes being a boy scout, or using sign language. No big deal, but there must be someone out there who shares my evolutionary quirk. Cheers. Your search has ended. I am 18 years old and have had the same issue since I was 4-5. Both my parents are special ed. teachers and have good connections with physical therapists. Even with their help my thumb remains unable to touch my pinky. I too was in Boy Scouts but was not kicked out, however I had to “cheat” as you put it with my other hand to do the Boy Scout oath. I dont know what it is but one thing I did notice is that my palm is disproportionally large compared to the length of my fingers and that my pinky bends straight down instead of slightly towards the middle of my palm. I hope this eases your worries somewhat about being the only evolutionary quirk, and I’m right there with you on the DUI thing! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/24 "2014-09-02T20:00:35Z")
Can you stick out your tongue and touch your ear? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/25 "2014-09-02T20:42:53Z")
> [@JoeyMac](#): > > Even with their help my thumb remains unable to touch my pinky. I too was in Boy Scouts but was not kicked out, however I had to “cheat” as you put it with my other hand to do the Boy Scout oath. This could have been written by me. I had to do exactly that when I was in the cubs - never been able to touch thumb and little finger, but in my case, it’s because I have almost zero mobility in one joint of my thumb, on both hands. Discussed here: > **[Do you have opposable thumbs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562606)** > > You’d think that after 40+ years of life, there wouldn’t be a lot of undiscovered territory on body parts in as frequent use as my hands, but yesterday I discovered that I’m some kind of freakish throwback - don’t have fully opposable thumbs. :eek: ... ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/26 "2014-09-02T20:47:34Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Can you stick out your tongue and touch your ear? I had always heard it as sticking out your tongue and touching your nose. I can also form a circle with my thumb and index finger, and poke my head through that hole. As to the OP, I don’t recall this thread in years past, but I’m having trouble imagining someone not being able to touch his thumb and pinky together. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/27 "2014-09-02T21:00:43Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > I’m having trouble imagining someone not being able to touch his thumb and pinky together. Here are the photos from the thread I linked above (the links in that thread are dead now): [https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=B021FB3140391EBE!1804&authkey=!ABaHR9-VO1GuSp4&ithint=folder%2C](https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=B021FB3140391EBE!1804&authkey=!ABaHR9-VO1GuSp4&ithint=folder%2c) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/28 "2014-09-02T21:16:53Z")
Can’t quite tell from the descriptions but about 6% of people are missing a flexor of the pinkie on one or both sides - the flexor digitalis superficialis of the fifth digit. Thus they use the [flexor digitalis profundus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexor_digitorum_profundus_muscle) which also attached to the other non-thumb fingers as well and cannot completely flex the pinkie in isolation. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/29 "2014-09-02T23:06:27Z")
It may be the muscles are overdeveloped and physically block the action. Over 40, The tendons and joints become stiff… so the same muscle strength might not be enough to bend the hand around like that. So I don’t think we will get an answer over the internet. Is there a build up of fluid around the hand ? Is there a touchable lump in between bones at some place ? Are there Inflamed tendons on the back of the hand ? The nerves have to pass through the bones and so the bones have little depressions where the nerves lie, safe from being squashed… If the bones are displaced (stretched or torn tendons?) , or the bones are worn, or the soft tissue is swollen or filled with extra/out of place fluid, then this protection is lost, the nerve cells become squashed and reduce in effectiveness. Good news is that if its a temporary soft tissue injury, then stopping using and abusing that hand for a few weeks will heal it up. In your case, that means time off work or perhaps a change in role at work. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/30 "2014-09-03T01:04:38Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Can you stick out your tongue and touch your ear? Sure. - Sticks tongue out, puts thumbs in ears and wiggles fingers. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/31 "2014-09-03T02:56:06Z")
Great news!!! I can now touch my pinkies to my thumbs in both hands. For some reason whatever was broken is now fixed. The left ring finger was a little tentative, but has straightened out. NOTE: there’s a simple alternative way to touch your pinkies to your thumbs; just touch each thumb to the pinkie of the other hand. This is NOT what I’m referring to above. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/32 "2014-09-03T03:23:37Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Here are the photos from the thread I linked above (the links in that thread are dead now): > [Microsoft OneDrive](https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=B021FB3140391EBE!1804&authkey=!ABaHR9-VO1GuSp4&ithint=folder%2c) From those pics, it looks like the second joint down on your thumb can’t bend - is that right? However, even if I use my right hand to hold that joint extended, I can still touch the tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky finger. In those pics, your fingers were straight out, but can’t you bend your fingers down then to touch the tip of your thumb? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/33 "2014-09-03T06:39:08Z")
That joint bends a little (i.e. it’s not fused solid) but only a few degrees of movement. I cam make the thumb and little finger touch by manipulating them with the other hand - my hand has enough squashy flexibility to allow this, but moving them on their own, the thumb draws in only so that the tip touches the base of my ring finger - so when I close my little (pinky) finger, it fold onto my palm, completely missing my thumb. And no intermediate position of either has them touching. Might be easier to explain if I get it on video… ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/34 "2014-09-03T15:49:12Z")
No need for the video, I can kinda picture it from your explanation. Do you know why your thumb joint is so inflexible? Mine bends at about an 80 degree angle. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101/35 "2014-09-03T23:24:19Z")
It’s been like that all my life - my sister had operations to correct trigger thumbs - I guess my (lack of) joint mobility is some kind of related condition - maybe it could have been corrected, but it was never noticed - including by me - I knew I had a problem touching thumb to fingers, but never counted the number of movable joints in my thumb, or compared it against anyone else’s thumb until fairly recently. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-touch-pinky-to-thumb-am-i-broken/351101.md?page=1)