ELI5: When you put your hand flat, palm down on a table, why can’t you lift your ring finger like the other fingers?

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ELI5: When you put your hand flat, palm down on a table, why can’t you lift your ring finger like the other fingers?

Comments

  1. Papa_Ted Avatar

    I just tried it and I can lift my ring finger just fine.

  2. _Griff_ Avatar

    Did you ask so this we’d all just go to the nearest table to test it? Just me? 😂

  3. 4tehlulzez Avatar

    There’s a mechanical difference between your ring finger and other fingers but if you practice you gain increase mobility in your ring finger.

  4. RockMover12 Avatar

    You may have a serious medical problem, you should see a ring finger doctor.

  5. Rubiks_Click874 Avatar

    it’s connected to your middle finger. you get full lift if you lift them together

  6. MusclesRipley Avatar

    I was taught the penny trick for this idea. Basically, put all your fingers knuckle to knuckle except your ring fingers which are straight. Now put a penny between your ring fingers and try to separate them to drop the penny.

    What I was taught (and obligatory not a doctor, biologist, relevant field etc.) is that the muscles/ligaments that control your ring finger also connect to the pinky, so if that’s immobilized we can’t move our ring finger independently.

  7. Lexinoz Avatar

    This seems to be a “you” thing.
    I just did on both hands, and the girlfriend too.

  8. CueBall94 Avatar

    Your ring finger shares a tendon with your middle finger. It does have some independent movement, generally you will be able to lift it a bit, but if you lift your middle finger at the same time you’ll be able to lift it further.

  9. Birdbrainia Avatar

    If you can do it. Try with your middle finger cured under your palm

  10. MrCrash Avatar

    It’s based on flexibility and muscle isolation. If you train a child to do this, or they have a hobby that uses manual dexterity, then they will be able to do this.

    Practice, my dude, you’ll get there.

  11. jadelink88 Avatar

    You can, unless you never do anything with it. Most people who type, do handcrafts or play an instrument with that hand should be able to do it.

  12. Vroomped Avatar

    Trumpet player here. Get good. JK jk 

    It’s how your muscle groups are strengthened and your experience activating specific ones. My part trick is being able to bed my finger 90% from the second knuckle. How, because I did it be 10 years straight playing the trumpet. 

  13. dvolland Avatar

    I can. Maybe see a doctor?

  14. boat_cats Avatar

    It’s a tendon thing I’m pretty sure. Everyone’s tendons are different in flexibility and movement, whether it’s from genes or just different activities you might do that stretch them out more. I can not make the number three with my thumb and pinky down at the same time. It causes all my other fingers to fold over. People think I’m trying to jest on them when I show them. My mom is the same way and the only other person I know that can’t do it either. Unfortunately, she has some sort of tendon disease that causes growths on them that results in shortening the tendons and results in claw hands. Im guessing I’ll develop the same since I we both can’t make the number three.

  15. _Ceaseless_Watcher_ Avatar

    Some people can do it (called hypermobility), myself included but for the majority that can’t, it’s because the tendons used to move your middle finger are connected to the ones used to move your ring finger, and keeping your middle finger flat on the table puts just enough level-action strain on the ring finger tendons that it cannot be lifted without external help.

  16. RockMover12 Avatar

    When I was a kid I couldn’t make the “Vulcan salute” that Spock would make on Star Trek. I couldn’t keep my ring finger and pinky together when I tried to separate them from my index and middle fingers. Somehow this was a great shame to me. 😂 I was home sick from school for a few days and I spent it practicing over and over. Eventually I trained my brain to do it the right way.

    Point is: I bet you’ll be able to do it if you practice.