Patients unexpectedly assuming a prolonged posture, with an arm resting posteriorly against a hard surface, are liable to develop acute radial nerve palsies. Examples include sleeping with weight on an…
Within the axilla, the radial nerve lies posterior to the axillary artery, and subsequently upon the subscapularis and latissimus dorsi muscles while anterior to the teres major muscle. Here it…
PROXIMAL ULNAR NERVE LESIONS Chronic ulnar nerve elbow lesions primarily exist at the cubital tunnel or condylar groove. Patients with these lesions present with numbness and tingling, and/or sensory loss…
Within the proximal forearm, the ulnar nerve courses along the length of the medial forearm, lying on the ulnar collateral ligament immediately below the elbow; it subsequently passes between the…
The clinical signs of CTS may be quite variable on neurologic examination; early, there are often no specific findings. In this instance, sometimes typical CTS symptoms can be precipitated by…
PRIMARY MEDIAN TRUNK All median nerve function is potentially compromised with very proximal lesions. In contrast to the patient with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) experiencing finger paresthesias, median trunk lesions…
Anteriorly, within the carpal tunnel, the median nerve is bounded by the stiff flexor retinaculum and posteriorly by the carpal bones. In contrast, the ulnar nerve does not travel through…
UPPER ARM The median nerve is derived from the major cervical nerve roots (C5-8) and a minor first thoracic (T1) nerve root contribution. Within the axilla, various fascicles of these…
The axillary (circumflex humeral) (C5, 6) and radial (C6, 7) nerves are the primary derivatives of the posterior cord of the brachial plexus. Descending behind the axillary vessels, the axillary…
The clinical demonstration of weakness and atrophy specific to one of these nerves provides important differential diagnostic clues. Typically, the patient with a primary orthopedic problem, such as a rotator…
