UE Nerves Flashcards
Axillary
C5-C6
CAUSE OF INJURY
Fractured surgical neck of humerus
anterior dislocation of humerus
PRESENTATION
- Flattened deltoid
- Loss of arm abduction at shoulder (> 15 degrees)
- Loss of sensation over deltoid muscle and lateral arm
Musculocutaneous
C5-C7
CAUSE OF INJURY
Upper trunk compression
PRESENTATION
- Loss of forearm flexion and supination
- Loss of sensation over lateral forearm
Radial
C5-T1
CAUSE OF INJURY
-Midshaft fracture of humerus
-compression of axilla, eg, due to crutches or sleeping with arm
over chair (“Saturday night palsy”)
PRESENTATION
-Wrist drop
- DEC grip strength
-Loss of sensation over posterior arm/forearm and dorsal hand
Median
C5-T1
CAUSE OF INJURY
- Supracondylar fracture of humerus (proximal lesion)
- carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist laceration (distal lesion)
PRESENTATION
-“Ape hand” and “Pope’s blessing”
-Loss of wrist flexion, flexion of lateral fingers, thumb opposition, lumbricals of 2nd and 3rd digits
-Loss of sensation over thenar eminence and dorsal and palmar aspects of lateral 31⁄2 fingers
with proximal lesion
Ulnar
C8-T1
CAUSE OF INJURY
- Fracture of medial epicondyle of humerus “funny bone” (proximal lesion)
- fractured hook of hamate (distal lesion)
PRESENTATION
-“Ulnar claw” on digit extension
-Radial deviation of wrist upon flexion (proximal lesion)
-Loss of wrist flexion, flexion of medial fingers, abduction and adduction of fingers (interossei),
actions of medial 2 lumbrical muscles
-Loss of sensation over medial 11/2 fingers including hypothenar eminence
Recurrent branch of median nerve
C5-T1
CAUSE OF INJURY
Superficial laceration of palm
PRESENTATION
- “Ape hand”
- Loss of thenar muscle group: opposition, abduction, and flexion of thumb
- No loss of sensation