In
human anatomy, the
wrist is variously defined as 1) the
carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; (2) the
wrist joint or
radiocarpal joint, the joint between the
radius and the carpus; and (3) the anatomical region surrounding the carpus including the distal parts of the bones of the forearm and the proximal parts of the
metacarpus or five metacarpal bones and the series of joints between these bones, thus referred to as
wrist joints. This region also includes the
carpal tunnel, the
anatomical snuff box, the
flexor retinaculum, and the
extensor retinaculum.