Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
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Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
Prerequisite basic sciences
Prerequisite basic sciences
Anatomy clinical correlates: Anterior and posterior abdominal wall
Anatomy clinical correlates: Inguinal region
Anatomy clinical correlates: Peritoneum and diaphragm
Anatomy clinical correlates: Viscera of the gastrointestinal tract
Anatomy clinical correlates: Other abdominal organs
Appendicitis: Pathology review
Complications during pregnancy: Pathology review
Diverticular disease: Pathology review
Gallbladder disorders: Pathology review
GERD, peptic ulcers, gastritis, and stomach cancer: Pathology review
Inflammatory bowel disease: Pathology review
Mood disorders: Pathology review
Pancreatitis: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Female pelvis and perineum
Cervical cancer: Pathology review
Complications during pregnancy: Pathology review
Uterine disorders: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Heart
Anatomy clinical correlates: Mediastinum
Anatomy clinical correlates: Pleura and lungs
Anatomy clinical correlates: Thoracic wall
Aortic dissections and aneurysms: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Pathology review
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: Pathology review
GERD, peptic ulcers, gastritis, and stomach cancer: Pathology review
Pleural effusion, pneumothorax, hemothorax and atelectasis: Pathology review
ECG cardiac infarction and ischemia
Pigmentation skin disorders: Pathology review
Skin cancer: Pathology review
Papulosquamous and inflammatory skin disorders: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Pleura and lungs
Anatomy clinical correlates: Thoracic wall
GERD, peptic ulcers, gastritis, and stomach cancer: Pathology review
Lung cancer and mesothelioma: Pathology review
Nasal, oral and pharyngeal diseases: Pathology review
Obstructive lung diseases: Pathology review
Pneumonia: Pathology review
Tuberculosis: Pathology review
Chest X-ray interpretation: Clinical sciences
Amnesia, dissociative disorders and delirium: Pathology review
Cerebral vascular disease: Pathology review
Dementia: Pathology review
Electrolyte disturbances: Pathology review
Mood disorders: Pathology review
Hypothyroidism: Pathology review
Mood disorders: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Facial (CN VII) and vestibulocochlear (CN VIII) nerves
Cardiomyopathies: Pathology review
Cerebral vascular disease: Pathology review
Heart blocks: Pathology review
Supraventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Valvular heart disease: Pathology review
Ventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Vertigo: Pathology review
ECG axis
ECG cardiac hypertrophy and enlargement
ECG intervals
ECG normal sinus rhythm
ECG QRS transition
ECG rate and rhythm
Kidney stones: Pathology review
Sexually transmitted infections: Vaginitis and cervicitis: Pathology review
Sexually transmitted infections: Warts and ulcers: Pathology review
Urinary tract infections: Pathology review
Central nervous system infections: Pathology review
Nasal, oral and pharyngeal diseases: Pathology review
Pneumonia: Pathology review
Shock: Pathology review
Urinary tract infections: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Anterior blood supply to the brain
Anatomy clinical correlates: Temporal regions, oral cavity and nose
Central nervous system infections: Pathology review
Cerebral vascular disease: Pathology review
Headaches: Pathology review
Traumatic brain injury: Pathology review
Vasculitis: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Arm, elbow and forearm
Anatomy clinical correlates: Axilla
Anatomy clinical correlates: Bones, fascia and muscles of the neck
Anatomy clinical correlates: Bones, joints and muscles of the back
Anatomy clinical correlates: Clavicle and shoulder
Anatomy clinical correlates: Foot
Anatomy clinical correlates: Hip, gluteal region and thigh
Anatomy clinical correlates: Knee
Anatomy clinical correlates: Leg and ankle
Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
Anatomy clinical correlates: Wrist and hand
Seronegative and septic arthritis: Pathology review
Apnea, hypoventilation and pulmonary hypertension: Pathology review
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: Pathology review
Heart failure: Pathology review
Nephrotic syndromes: Pathology review
Renal failure: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Anterior and posterior abdominal wall
Anatomy clinical correlates: Bones, joints and muscles of the back
Anatomy clinical correlates: Vertebral canal
Aortic dissections and aneurysms: Pathology review
Back pain: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Inguinal region
Anatomy clinical correlates: Male pelvis and perineum
Penile conditions: Pathology review
Prostate disorders and cancer: Pathology review
Testicular and scrotal conditions: Pathology review
Testicular tumors: Pathology review
Anatomy clinical correlates: Pleura and lungs
Coronary artery disease: Pathology review
Obstructive lung diseases: Pathology review
Pleural effusion, pneumothorax, hemothorax and atelectasis: Pathology review
Bronchodilators: Beta 2-agonists and muscarinic antagonists
Bronchodilators: Leukotriene antagonists and methylxanthines
Pulmonary corticosteroids and mast cell inhibitors
Anatomy clinical correlates: Ear
Anatomy clinical correlates: Temporal regions, oral cavity and nose
Nasal, oral and pharyngeal diseases: Pathology review
Sexually transmitted infections: Vaginitis and cervicitis: Pathology review
Prerequisite basic sciences
Anxiety disorders, phobias and stress-related disorders: Pathology Review
Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis: Pathology review
Back pain: Pathology review
Bone disorders: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Pathology review
Diabetes mellitus: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Alcohol: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Hallucinogens: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Other depressants: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Stimulants: Pathology review
Dyslipidemias: Pathology review
Heart failure: Pathology review
Hypertension: Pathology review
Mood disorders: Pathology review
Obstructive lung diseases: Pathology review
Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis: Pathology review
Assessments
Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
USMLE® Step 1 questions
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Transcript
The median, ulnar and radial nerves course through the forearm and wrist, and they help coordinate the movement of our forearms and hands.
These nerves, however, are prone to injury because of various causes, and depending on which one of them is injured, that will result in characteristic symptoms that can help us recognize and identify it.
For the median nerve, the clinical manifestations depend on whether the lesion has occurred distally, as in carpal tunnel syndrome, or proximally, as in an anteriorly displaced portion of a medial supracondylar humerus fracture.
The most common cause of median nerve injury is carpal tunnel syndrome, which is when the tunnel in the wrist through which the median nerve passes becomes narrower and compresses the median nerve.
This can happen due to repetitive use, like typing on a keyboard, injuries like an anterior lunate dislocation, or associated with conditions such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, or in pregnancy.
Symptoms of median nerve injury would be pain and paraesthesia in the radial 3 and a half digits, weakness of the first and second lumbrical, thenar atrophy, and weakness of thumb abduction and opposition of the affected hand.
Specifically, the recurrent branch of the median nerve is what provides motor innervation to the thenar muscles of the hand, which are responsible for abduction, flexion and opposition, so with injuries, people may have issues opposing the thumb, and it may be difficult to perform actions like buttoning up a shirt.
Damage to the recurrent branch of the median nerve alone causes what is known as ‘ape hand’, which refers to atrophy of the thenar eminence and inability to oppose the thumb..
Damage to the entire median nerve at the level or the wrist, or distal median nerve, presents clinically as a “median claw”.
Sources
- "Essential Clinically Applied Anatomy of the Peripheral Nervous System in the Head and Neck" Academic Press (2016)
- "Neuromuscular Disorders of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence" Elsevier (2014)
- "B D Chaurasia's Human Anatomy" Cbs Publisher & Distributors P Ltd (2009)
- "Risk of ulnar nerve injury during cross-pinning in supine and prone position for supracondylar humeral fractures in children: a recent literature review" European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology (2019)
- "Rehabilitation of brachial plexus and peripheral nerve disorders" Neurological Rehabilitation (2013)
- "An Anomalous Pattern of Superficial Branch of Radial Nerve: A Cadaveric Case Report" International Journal of Morphology (2014)
- "Rapid ultrasonographic diagnosis of radial entrapment neuropathy at the spiral groove" Journal of the Neurological Sciences (2008)
- "Peripheral Nerve Injuries" Complications in Neuroanesthesia (2016)
- "Occupational mononeuropathies in industry" Handb Clin Neurol (2015)
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