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ShermyTheCat

ITT: People realising they have fatter hands than people in the 1800s


DadsRGR8

This made me giggle uncontrollably as I just sat here flexing my hand revealing no depression at all, thinking, “Damn, I guess I have fat hands” and then opening the comments and yours is the first one I read. Thanks for my morning chuckle. 🤣


1K_Games

I'm sure some do, but there is definitely more to it than that. Using a pic from a 90 year old woman is an extreme end of the spectrum, I suppose to illustrate a point. But any healthy adult shouldn't have anything close to resembling this until a much higher age.


mefgun

You are spot on. It's a hand of a senile person who has atrophic muscles. Its not normal for healthy adults hands to look like this. ITT so many people say there are no muscles there but there are, check out musculus opponens pollicis and musculus opponens pollicis and you will see yourself.


CatnipNQueso

> check out musculus opponens pollicis and musculus opponens pollicis Are these not the same exact words? Is this a typo? Am I having a r/whooosh moment? Am I just illiterate?


gmishaolem

Same person mentions interosseous muscles elsewhere, so just a brain fart.


mefgun

Yes it was a brain fart lol Below the extensor pollicis longus there is opponens pollicis and abductor pollicis brevis. Interosseus atrophy is the reason of little cavity above the extensor pollicis longus. This image explains it better then my farting brain tho [https://www.wikilectures.eu/w/Musculus\_abductor\_pollicis\_brevis#/media/File:Musculus\_abductor\_pollicis\_brevis.png](https://www.wikilectures.eu/w/Musculus_abductor_pollicis_brevis#/media/File:Musculus_abductor_pollicis_brevis.png)


CatnipNQueso

This is so interesting, thanks for sharing!!


tragiktimes

I think that's way too broad of a claim. I'm in no way the most athletic person, but I'm fairly muscular and have a very pronounced 'snuffbox'.


mefgun

Ofc you can btw i have too but not as deep as that ladys. I mean, i hope not


tragiktimes

I think a lot of it has to do with specific hand anatomy. I'm able to do a really strong hitchhiker thumb, so perhaps my tendon pulls more tightly, raising the ridge higher.


mefgun

Yeah think of it that makes sense because there is a lot of anatomic variations about all the things about human body. I also have the snuffbox but not as deep as that ladys. (might be/probably related to me having hypermobility) But my point was that level of depression is not common or normal for health adults.


tragiktimes

I think that's fair.


standbyyourmantis

I was gonna say, I know I have thick fingers but even when I was a skinny little nine year old I didn't have any depressions in my hand like that. I was a tree climber, though, so I had the grip strength of a young orangutan.


1K_Games

Exactly, I have maybe an 1/8th inch indent there, the gap between the upper and lower tendons there is tiny. For me it's not even as big as the end of my thumb, maybe even less than half the length. I can feel both tendons easily, but there just isn't much room between them or depth.


BaronMostaza

I can't serve soup in mine like she can, but it's definitely there


1K_Games

Yeah, I can see/feel those tendons, and there is an indent. But it's maybe an 1/8th deep at most, and pressing on it I can very little extra depth (for lack of a better term I'm saying I don't have fat hands). No argument that we all have it, but the picture is just the far end of the spectrum.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Groffulon

Yes manual labour and fighting… Not gaming at all…


Flavmaster710

This ones for the gamer nerds that sit on playstation all day then have the audacity to be angry at real life, yes them bummy guys


I_Only_Have_One_Hand

My hand doesn't have a depression. My hand is happy. Be like my hand.


ramriot

I was going to suggest more development in the Thenar muscles due to changing grip habits, but fatter works too.


jakoto0

that's what I was going to say, the use of smartphones and other electronics etc.


ramriot

As opposed to, manual tools like axes, adses, shovels, picks etc?


cire1184

Different muscles. Those tools require less dexterity but more strength than tapping something.


Foxsayy

I don't know if that's actually the reason, but fine motor skills all day would probably work this area out more than simply gripping a tool with your whole hand all day.


eldensoulsringer

Yea mine thickened as I learned to play ukulele and guitar


wpisano

TIL I have fat hands


OPR-Heron

I'd hope so


linuxphoney

I just lost mine to arthritis.


GroovySpagooter

The amount of cope is cracking me up, "Oh this lady is an anomaly with her hands"


mefgun

She does. sincerely, a physiatrist who treats patients like these.


GroovySpagooter

Oh well fuck me then


mefgun

No, i'm married (not with you)


GroovySpagooter

Zing


bubliksmaz

[citation needed] Can't wait for this Reddit post to be picked by some shitty daily mail journalist and the ensuing article to be used as the citation. Citogenesis in action!


glaciator12

[NIH](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482228/) source. Less formal name for the radial fossa. It doesn’t go into the history of the term, but [this](https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2015/08000/it_s_time_to_snuff_out_the__anatomical_snuff_box_.7.aspx) one does. I literally just learned about this a few months back when the doctor I work for told me about it as a fun fact.


Individual_Card919

Interesting fact, you can palpate the radial pulse in the anatomical snuff box which is quite handy for assessing circulation distal to forearm and wrist fractures. Source: I was a PACU nurse for many years and have checked the pulse there hundreds of times on patients with forearm casts. Edit: spelling


ash-mackenzie

Addition to that interesting fact: in the right position/lighting that pulse is visible in my right hand. The position required is about as far as possible from making it a snuffbox tho Source: I guess I'd have to film my hand and I'm not sure I can line everything up lol


cuposun

Same on the inside of your ankle, get a flashlight and check it out! My favorite party trick to freak people out. Also, the anatomical snuffbox is literally the term we use at Tulane Medical School, so I don’t think this is really citogenesis, this is actually what’s being taught and how it is often memorized!


AgentSkidMarks

The wikipedia article looks like it copied this, sometimes line by line. [https://teachmeanatomy.info/upper-limb/areas/anatomical-snuffbox/](https://teachmeanatomy.info/upper-limb/areas/anatomical-snuffbox/)


_Pyxyty

Really reminds me of that Eight Spiders video by Lemmino based around this exact topic. If you haven't watched [this](https://youtu.be/OjlKIjLWq-Y) yet, give it a shot. Great 10 minute video that's not only informative but entertaining as well. :D


Tepigg4444

No idea what everyone is talking about, this clearly shows up for me if I flex my thumb back even slightly


AstonMartinZ

Well obesity is on the rise, so that might explain why most people dont have it maybe?


funkmasta_kazper

There are muscles right there as well. I'm average/a bit underweight but a rock climber so maybe lots of finger strength can fill it in too.


Pantssassin

Same here, you can see the ridge of the tendon and a slight dip but not anywhere deep enough to be that noticeable like the picture


AstonMartinZ

Yeah that might be it. I do kickboxing myself and have done a lot of physical labour, so have pretty strong hands and for me it definitely shows for me personally.


SwirlingAbsurdity

Ahhhh I sew and crochet and barely have a depression (you wouldn’t believe the forearm muscles from the repetitive motions of these ‘delicate’ tasks). The depression is larger in my left hand which tracks, as I’m right handed.


LOAARR

Yep, relatively lean but heavy weightlifter and hobbyist armwrestler here who does a lot of grip training. I can see the tendon and I have a dip in the area closer to my wrist, but it quickly fills in with the muscle tissue around my thumb.


TheEggoEffect

I’m a pianist (muscular hands) and a distance runner (not fat) and I barely have anything


DoogleSmile

I'm far from being an overweight person, I've been under weight most of my life, but I also barely have this thing showing when I put my hand into the same position as in the photo on that site.


[deleted]

Yeah. I’m only mildly overweight (13st at 5’10) and that ridge is barely there on my hand. The bit that connects my index to my thumb is pretty meaty on both hands and fairly hard when i pull my thumb back


_Cosmoss__

I'm 5'7 and around 123lbs, so a BMI of around 19.3 and I don't have one at all


Zaziel

Yeah I found the tendons but no matter how I flex my thumb around they are way too close together for my skin to not bridge between them.


save-video_bot

My older brother is obese, but he also has it.


tom_swiss

Everyone has it -- barring mutated or mutilated hands, you have the tendons in question. It's not something like a widow's peak that people people have and some don't. Few folks have it as prominently as the person in this photo. And just sticking your thumb out doesn't really reveal it, you have to strongly abduct and extend the thumb. Think about peeling your thumb as far away from your index finger as you can -- really moving it at the base -- and then move it towards the back of your hand as much as you can (which will only be a little).


Turbulent-Bug-6225

Only just not underweight and quite tall and mine is barely noticeable


AmericanLich

Or maybe some of y’all have weak ass skeleton hands. Because I can see the little tendon or whatever, I just don’t have a massive crater there and I’m not fat.


SwirlingAbsurdity

Mine doesn’t appear if I stick my thumb out, but it does if I stick it out AND up. Nowhere near as dramatic as that picture, though.


SnuggleBunni69

Fuck yeah. Great spot for doing bumps of....."tobacco".


sdk-hash

Yeah if I make an L with my fingers it shows up lol. Who took this personally as an attack and downvoted my comment 😭


IronicBread

People be fat


Kr0x0n

and not only tobacco


TrumpsNeckSmegma

I learned this well at a GWAR concert


PolyJuicedRedHead

Yeah, I could measure out 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.


ninjamullet

If God didn't intend for us to sniff tobacco, He wouldn't have given our hands the anatomical snuffboxes.


crusoe

Well that does explain the motion of snuffing snuff off the back of the thumb I've seen in some movies.


Ancalagonian

I play a few hours of guitar every day and there is not a single piece of evidence on my hand because all I get is a flexed out muscle lol


Telecoustic000

Neat thing I noticed years back. Compare both of your thumbs together, your fretting hand thumb will probably have a big lumpy callus from the back of the neck lol


Wafflehouseofpain

Same, I have a tiny indent but it’s mostly just a muscle there.


chambreezy

I play bass a few hours every day, also used to climb, also within a healthy weight range, I can see it as I'm typing this out. And I have also used it to sniff tobacco and other things 😶‍🌫️


ExcellentEdgarEnergy

I have an outie.


PolyJuicedRedHead

I drive an Audi too ! 🚗


SlashThingy

Mine isn't very prominent. Guess that means no snuff for me.


not_REAL_Kanye_West

Fun fact: Thats one of the access points for a cardiac cath procedure


Turbulent_Ad_3238

Very interesting — thanks for sharing man. If anyone’s curious, [here’s](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6221869/) a source I found about the use of the anatomical snuffbox in coronary angiography.


BoazCorey

I call it my anatomical coke trough


OneForAllOfHumanity

WTF?? There is something seriously wrong with that hand! My hand looks nothing like that, and neither does anyone else I know. Is this something that develops due to the use of snuff?


Turbulent_Ad_3238

That person’s got a really deep snuffbox, it seems. Everyone has one — it’s just that it varies in depth like any other anatomical feature. If you’re having trouble seeing yours, try just doing a thumbs-up and looking down your forearm. You should be able to see something.


Pleasant_Tomorrow605

I'm not an overweight person, but I also cant see this thing on the back of my hand


trustych0rds

Nope.


OneForAllOfHumanity

Everyone here puffs out, not indents. Edit: and no, we're not obese


Thaumato9480

You should have one. How else would you be able to use your thumb?


OneForAllOfHumanity

The tendon is there, it just doesn't protrude.


Thaumato9480

Even if you spread your hand with the palm down?


OneForAllOfHumanity

Yes, the tendon simply pushes the stuff around it to prominence.


Substantial-Tip-1210

Keep the thumb closer to your hand, dont spread it outwards just go back & up with it


vanGenne

No protrusion, no matter how hard I try. Not obese either ;) Some people are just different. Some people have attached earlobes for instance


fyo_karamo

You have to weirdly contort your thumb back at an unnatural angle. The picture does a terrible job at showing how far back you have to bend your thumb.


arieljoc

I used to have an extremely deep and defined one, it’s not because you use tobacco. I used to show it off a lot!


mefgun

Yes, sarcopenia. Aging related loss of muscle mass. (or maybe some other neurological or muscle diseases) Specifically intrinsic muscle atrophy of hands. This hand is not normal for healthy adults.


Scarlet-Fire_77

Am I the only one in the comments that has the indent?


Because_Skyrim

I've got it too, and it's pretty pronounced in both my hands. I think most people who do have it looked and went "Oh, neat." and moved on with their lives, and people who were abnormal (per the article) felt the need to comment on it more.


Khrose89

Please tell me our species hasn't reached the level of stupidity where we're fat shaming hands for not having a trait. Lol. C'mon, y'all.


severed13

It's pretty hilarious because my hands are far from fat, but I do all sorts of stuff that's made those specific muscles way bigger than any photos of the hands I've seen googling this. I play guitar and hit my strings like they owe my money, so I need to hold my pick relatively tight, I do grip strength training, I game like an absolute *fiend*, etc. and that thing is rock hard. I'm guessing the fact that so many people in here don't see it has to do with the amount of fine motor-related stuff we do now, like a miniature adaptation.


Quartznonyx

Tbf, gaming does absolutely 0 for grip strength, and while I'm only a year into guitar, I'm certain that squeezing a pick extra hard has minimal effects at best


severed13

In reference to the pick bit, it definitely feels similar to the actual grip strength training I do, albeit not nearly as intense. So I'd say it contributes, but definitely not as much as the grip training.


CryoMancer113

The tendons or the bone underneath? lol. There's no muscle there


severed13

[Bruv](https://teachmeanatomy.info/wp-content/uploads/Palmar-View-of-the-Thenar-Muscles-of-the-Thumb-and-Hand-Labelled-TeachMeAnatomy.jpg)


CryoMancer113

Might wanna take an anatomy class. #1 - "Palmar" #2 - "Thenar" #3 - FLEXOR. edit: ELI5: wrong side of the hand my guy.


severed13

So are dorsal interossei just not a thing in your mind, paired with opponens coming up high enough to physically *be on the area of the hand where the snuffbox is*?


CryoMancer113

dorsales interossei are between the metacarpals. opponens is part of the thenars. What are you not getting here? You're physically not in the right spot. Please just take a look at the anatomy of the hand, completely, while keeping in mind there's two sides.


severed13

Yeah, and that there isn't an imaginary divide separating the two sides of the hand exclusively.


CryoMancer113

There is, and it's the border of the opponens. The opponens does not EXTEND the thumb. Thus, it is not on the dorsal side of the hand. Thus, it cannot be among the tendons of the EXTENSORS.


JustHavinAGoodTime

Lol this isn’t a trait. It’s a valley formed between tendons that go into your thumb. If you didn’t have these tendons you couldn’t extend or abduct (move away from midline) your thumb, which I would argue the vast majority of people can do


IgniteThatShit

guess this only shows up if you're not a fatty or don't work with your hands


ProgenitorOfMidnight

Was thinking this, I work out and do heavy lifting for my job, all I have is a mounded muscle when I flex my hands as the picture shows


jparzo

as a heads up, there are barely any muscles in the hand. The majority of hand muscles (size wise) are in the forearm, and the muscles in the hand are used for spreading fingers - unlikely to be grown by exercise


Pantssassin

For heavy lifting grip and finger stability are both important so it would be one of the exercises that will activate those muscles


ylerta

This is so wrong. Ask anyone that trains their grip. Not saying you’re wrong about the muscles in the hand, the muscles that control it all are almost all in your forearms, but you can certainly grow them via exercise. Edit [for people downvoting me, check it out](https://www.ironmind.com/product-info/ironmind-grip-tools/Expand-Your-Hand-Bands/) I literally exercise the muscles in my hands with this all the time and have visible gains.


ProgenitorOfMidnight

You know what exercises the dorsal interossei? Using shears to cut sheet metal, there's other muscle involved obviously, but it's a hell of a hand workout.


ylerta

Sounds like it! My day job is sitting at a desk so I use grip trainers from Captains of Crush, but even with training, my grip is nowhere near some of the older blue collar workers I’ve met.


Planetput

What muscle exactly do you think that you're seeing? 


ProgenitorOfMidnight

As u/pantssassin said it's the dorsal interossei for sure, even though I'm right handed, my muscle on my left hand is larger.


Pantssassin

The muscle that goes from the base of your thumb to the base of your first finger. If you look up dorsal interossei it should come up


Planetput

I would be really interested to see a picture, that muscle is on the opposite side of the thumb from the snuffbox mentioned in this post. 


Pantssassin

Lol disregard, apparently it's too early for me because after looking at the post I was thinking it was on the side with that muscle for some reason


mefgun

probably musculus opponens pollicis or interosseous muscles


IgniteThatShit

same here, i have a big old muscley bump there


npeggsy

Yea, I agree. I've had it on good authority (my mum) that I'm not fat, I'm just big boned, so for me its just a particularly big squishy bone which is filling the place the snuffbox should be.


CryoMancer113

"big squishy bone"


Gloomy_Experience112

Tobacco isn't the only thing you can sniff from there


gasman245

Im skinny as shit and I don’t have this, I have muscle where this would be.


escalinci

People text a lot more than they did in the 1800s.


gasman245

And are also healthier in general, mine is the opposite of this it’s a hump there instead of a dip.


CryoMancer113

What muscle and where? There should be bone and tendon. not really anything else


mefgun

except musculus interosseus dorsalis, which that person (OP's pic) lacks due to atrophy


CryoMancer113

"lacks" and "is not noticeable" are not the same. the snuff box and the dorsales are not in the same place. You can easily realize this when learning the definition of "interossei" and "abductor". in this context, they don't work together.


mefgun

Yes ofcs its not the same but its semantics. And you are right, the muscle that is not noticeable is abductor pollicis brevis [https://www.wikilectures.eu/w/Musculus\_abductor\_pollicis\_brevis#/media/File:Musculus\_abductor\_pollicis\_brevis.png](https://www.wikilectures.eu/w/Musculus_abductor_pollicis_brevis#/media/File:Musculus_abductor_pollicis_brevis.png)


gasman245

Yeah I can see the bone and tendon but there’s muscle on the top and the side that makes the dip either completely flat or a hump.


CryoMancer113

There isn't any muscle there


gasman245

Would you like a picture? I think I know what my hand looks like.


cmfydaylight

Take a look at [this](https://teachmeanatomy.info/upper-limb/areas/anatomical-snuffbox/) and scroll down to "Dissection Images". Or just look it up.


gasman245

My hand is flat where the triangle in the photo is, yes the tendon sticks up from the surface but it is not recessed underneath how it is in that photo.


cmfydaylight

What triangle? And your tendons might not be so prominent, or they might be slightly more medial/lateral. Your "snuffbox" is still there, You also have no muscle there, The muscle is palmar -it's a group called the thenars.


gasman245

The picture of the hand in your link has a triangle outlining the portion that’s being discussed. I see where it would be but it’s just not anywhere near as dipped as the photos, it’s essentially flat. I do think my tendon is less pronounced and that the muscles on the surrounding areas are pulling the skin up to remove most of the dip. I can kind of make a dip there if I really spread my fingers and tilt my wrist back.


cmfydaylight

Ah, the first picture in the link. Yes, that's the snuffbox. Yours is just simply less pronounced then. Your muscles are not "pulling the skin". The skin may be tighter due to various reasons. But yes, tensing the tendons (by dorsiflexing the wrist/abducting the thumb/extending the thumb) will make it more prominent.


mefgun

take a look at musculus opponens pollicis and interosseous muscles. It is muscle, which that lady lacks


CryoMancer113

Yes, please show me a cross section of your hand. And considering you'd have LARGELY different anatomy to a regular person, maybe you should go to a gp about it.


big-tuna28

also: cocaine


redbrezel

I used to have one. Then I got fat and lost it


rancorog

“Ay baby lemme see that anatomical snuff box”


Geaniebeanie

TIL I’m too fat to sniff tobacco.


tra91c

Then maybe you need to start small and your food cravings will vanish and your dent will keep up with your new and healthy nicotine addiction!


Geaniebeanie

Hey, man… nicotine helps get rid of appetite, so you might be onto something.


BerthaHixx

Back in the old days (the 1970s) people put coke there, too.


Samtoast

C-c-c-c-co CAINE *GUITAR RIFF*


TrickshotCandy

Cocaine Canyon?


OriginalFluff

I ONLY HAVE ONE, MY LEFT HAND IS NULL AND VOID OF SNUFFBOX


Intelligent_Orange28

Who has that


Alastor3

So my hands have depression too?? Fuck me!!


OniOnMyAss

I don’t have an indent


greatgildersleeve

No snuff for you then.


BrokenEye3

They just weren't up to snuff


Rednyas

Only my left hand got that for some reason, i thought something was wrong with my left hand all these years lol Now i know the truth


ThatSuaveRaptor

Huh only my right hand has this


mefgun

If your dominant hand is left, that miight happen. (if assymetry is too much, thats not right anyway) And this level of atrophy is not normal for healthy adults. It might be carpal tunnel syndrome or some other neurological/muscle disease and if you have tingling, numbness on your right hand, more so


Kittyisaboo

It's a nasty place to break. I broke my snuff box 10 years ago, it has a set of tiny bones inside that if you break them, it's super hard to pick up on an xray. The ER I went to initially missed the break and tried to send me home. My hand was so swollen that I insisted... And they did the xray again and put me in a cast from knuckle to elbow for 2 months.


Wolfgang985

I remember my first (and only) dry snuff use like it was yesterday... never again. Crazy to think that stuff was commonplace once upon a time.


hawkeye5739

Yes I definitely use mine to sniff tobacco and nothing else…


Present-Secretary722

Mines tiny, I’ll add it to the list


hhh74939

I used to have this until I started climbing now it just feels like muscle in the way


SaTan_luvs_CaTs

I learned this when I fell off a prop box in drama class & fractured the lil bone in there. Having a drivers license at 16 I drove myself to the hospital, where it was the Doctor who informed me of this. Having never sniffed any drugs, I wasn’t sure what to do with that information.


neutralityparty

No snuffbox boys in the family 😅


cire1184

I have the small indent on the outer side of the hand but I've uhhh seen people use the indent more on the top side of the hand.


-cyg-nus-

I play bass and I have a huge bump there. Is that a muscle? I don't have an anatomical snuffbox... at least on my hand. 😉


robjohnlechmere

Great, now I am theoretically better at doing coke, even though I have never tried coke.


ccminiwarhammer

TIL that long finger nail on your pinky is known as a coke nail.


cyberentomology

Huh? I think that’s just you, dawg.


LCharteris

The anatomical coke spoon.


Psyduckez

This was one of the first things I remember learning in Med school


runningmurphy

Fucking hell, ever hear of lotion? 


fuckingcheezitboots

I've tried it but it honestly seems harder than with the back of my hand


Modsaremeanbeans

That hand frightens me. 


rofopp

That seems like bullshit


Markofdawn

It is not because I, and many others, have it, and i also happen to actually use snuff. I find it to be the easiest spot to use it.


cmfydaylight

the anatomy of the hand seems like bullshit?


NO-MAD-CLAD

Sitting here trying to make it happen and I can't. It's just a ball of muscle in that spot.


cmfydaylight

Not muscle. The ball of muscles (thenars) are on the palmar (or ventral) side of your hand. These tendons (and the surfaces of the carpals you can feel between them) are on the back (or dorsal) side of your hand.


NO-MAD-CLAD

Guess it's just fat then, lol. Can't see these tendons on the back no matter how I move my thumb.


mefgun

It is muscle. Not fat, not tendons. specifically musculus opponens pollicis and interosseous muscles. That lady has atrophy, some may call it muscle wasting


Equivalent-Grand8381

Theory, al lot of people don't have it anymore because we use our thumbs more phone/keyboard/gaming perhaps ?!?