Anterior Forearm & Palmar Hand Flashcards
Anterior Compartment of the Forearm nerve innervation and exceptions
- Superficial group (cross elbow) and deep group (do not cross elbow)
- Most of the anterior forearm muscles are innervated by the median nerve (C6-T1) (compartment rule: “mostly median”)
- Exceptions: 1½ muscles are innervated by the ulnar nerve (flexor carpi ulnaris and the ulnar half (to digits 4 and 5) of flexor digitorum profundus)
Anterior Compartment of the Forearm Actions
- Flex wrist joint
- Flex fingers (e.g., at MCP and IP joints)
- Pronate forearm (palm posterior)
- Abduct (radial deviation)/adduct (ulnar deviation) wrist joint
Superficial Group, Anterior Compartment of Forearm Rules
- Mostly median nerve innervation
- Common origin: Medial Epicondyle of the Humerus
- Medial epicondylitis (“Golfer’s elbow”): inflammation of common flexor origin and periosteum of the medial epicondyle
What are the muscles of the Superficial Group, Anterior Compartment of Forearm
1) Pronator teres
2) Flexor carpi radialis
3) Flexor carpi ulnaris
4) Palmaris longus (absent in ~15% of people)
5) Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDSF)
Pronator teres
- Insertion: midshaft of radius
- Action: pronate forearm
- Innervation: median nerve
Flexor carpi radialis
- Insertion: radial (lateral) side of hand
- Action: flex and abduct wrist joint
- Innervation: median nerve
Flexor carpi ulnaris
- Insertion: ulnar (medial) side of hand
- Action: flex and adduct wrist joint
- Innervation: ulnar nerve
Palmaris longus
-Insertion: palmar aponeurosis
-Action: flex wrist joint
-Innervation: median nerve
(absent in ~15% of people)
Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDSF)
- Insertion: middle phalanges of digits 2-5
- Action: flex digits 2-5 (MCP and PIP joints), flex wrist joint
- Innervation: median nerve
Deep Group, Anterior Compartment of Forearm Rules and muscles
- Origins: ulna, radius, interosseous membrane
- Mostly median nerve innervation
1) Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP)
2) Flexor pollicis longus (pollex=thumb)
3) Pronator quadratus
Flexor digitorum profundus (FDP)
- Insertion: distal phalanges of digits 2-5
- Action: flex digits 2-5 (MCP, PIP, and DIP joints), flex wrist joint
- Innervation:
1) Lateral (radial) ½ (to digits 2, 3) = median nerve
2) Medial (ulnar) ½ (to digits 4, 5) = ulnar nerve
Flexor pollicis longus (pollex=thumb)
- Action: flex thumb (CMC, MCP and IP joints), flex wrist joint
- Innervation: median nerve
Pronator quadratus
- Insertion: distal radius
- Action: pronate forearm
- Innervation: median nerve
Describe Flexor Retinaculum
- Band of deep fascia holding long flexor tendons in place as they cross the wrist joint
- Tendons are surrounded by synovial sheaths (allow tendons to move freely)
- The flexor retinaculum forms the roof of the carpal tunnel
Describe Contents of the carpal tunnel (deep to flexor retinaculum)
- median nerve (note: compression of this nerve in the carpal tunnel can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, see below for more info)
1) tendons of flexor digitorum superficialis
2) tendons of flexor digitorum profundus
3) tendon of flexor pollicis longus