Which muscle originates from the medial epicondyle and flexes the wrist on the radial side?

• A. Flexor digitorum superficialis
• B. Flexor carpi ulnaris
• C. Flexor carpi radialis
• D. Palmaris longus

Answer: (C)

This question hinges on knowing which forearm muscle both starts from the medial epicondyle and moves the hand toward the thumb side when you bend the wrist. Flexor carpi radialis does exactly that: it originates from the medial epicondyle (via the common flexor tendon) and inserts on the base of the second metacarpal, enabling wrist flexion with radial deviation (toward the thumb side). That combination of origin and the insertion location allows it to pull the wrist forward and toward the radius, making it the best choice.

Flexor digitorum superficialis also comes from the medial epicondyle, but its primary role is flexing the fingers, with wrist flexion being a secondary effect and not specifically tied to radial deviation. Flexor carpi ulnaris flexes the wrist but acts toward the ulnar side (little finger side), not the radial side. Palmaris longus can flex the wrist and shares the medial epicondyle origin, but it doesn’t contribute notably to radial deviation and is sometimes absent.