Objective: The aim of this study is to support clinical practice by helping with the differential diagnosis of idiopathic pain and sensory loss in hand and wrist and some syndromes, to find out about the incidence of short metacarpal (MC) bones in our population and to compare their bone lengths with those of the normal MCs.

Materials and Methods: In the study, the PA hand and wrist X-rays of adults over 25 years of age, who were admitted to Firat University Hospital which were obtained within one year (01.07.2016 - 01.07.2017) and did not have any pathology, were evaluated retrospectively.

Results: Of the people who were screened through the database of hospital in accordance with the aim of the study, 1003 right hands of 234 male and 769 female cases and 1009 left hands of 386 male and 623 female cases were measured. The presence of short MC was detected in four females out of 2012 people in total and it was not detected in any of the males. When the mean lengths, maximum and minimum values of the calculated normal MCs were compared with those of the short MCs, a significant difference was noted in both right and left hand.

Conclusion: Detecting short MCs, knowing their incidence and length, determining with appropriate radiological examinations and measurements will contribute to the elucidation of various pathologies associated with idiopathic hand and wrist pains.