Finger length tied to knee injury risk

NEW YORK - "Manly" hands might signal an increased risk of suffering a knee injury, if one study is correct.

The study, which targeted more than 1,000 middle-aged and older US adults and was published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, found a higher risk of knee injuries among men with a bigger discrepancy in the lengths of their index and ring fingers.

In general, men tend to have relatively short index fingers and longer ring fingers, while women show more equality in those two digits. A greater difference between the two fingers, whether in a man or a woman, is thought to reflect greater exposure to testosterone in the womb.