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Brachial Plexus Nerve Injuries Guide

This document summarizes various nerves of the brachial plexus and their functions. It describes several nerves - the long thoracic nerve, axillary nerve, radial nerve, ulnar nerve, median nerve and their roles in innervating specific muscles. It also lists common causes of injury for each nerve and the resulting motor and sensory deficits. For example, it indicates that injury to the radial nerve can cause wrist drop and that carpal tunnel syndrome injures the median nerve, causing numbness in parts of the hand.

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Amber Merritt
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133 views3 pages

Brachial Plexus Nerve Injuries Guide

This document summarizes various nerves of the brachial plexus and their functions. It describes several nerves - the long thoracic nerve, axillary nerve, radial nerve, ulnar nerve, median nerve and their roles in innervating specific muscles. It also lists common causes of injury for each nerve and the resulting motor and sensory deficits. For example, it indicates that injury to the radial nerve can cause wrist drop and that carpal tunnel syndrome injures the median nerve, causing numbness in parts of the hand.

Uploaded by

Amber Merritt
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Nerve Injuries Overview
  • Brachial Plexus and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Nerve name

Long thoracic n.

Motor decit

Cause of injury
Winged scapula
[Link] of serratus anterior muscle function
2. Loss of trapezius muscle function

Axillary n.

Fracture of surgical neck of humerus; anterior


shoulder dislocation

Paralysis of the teres minor muscle and deltoid


muscle
Cant abduct arm > 90o

Radial n.

Midshaft fractures of humerus; draping the arm


over a park bench (called "Saturday night palsy")
Injury produces wrist drop.

The radial nerve (and its deep branch) provides


motor innervation to the muscles in the posterior
compartment of the arm and forearm, which are
mostly [Link] brachii

C5-C8
Posterior cord of the
brachial plexus

Function: innervated
posterior m. of the
arm and forearm,
extend digits, wrist,
elbow, supination

Ulnar n.
C8-T11
Medial cord of the
brachial plexus

At the Elbow: Fracture of medial epicondyle of


the humerus. Injury produces a "claw hand"
(loss of interosseous muscles)
"funny bone

from parts of the


medial and lateral
cords of the brachial
plexus

Anconeus
Brachioradialis
Extensor carpi radialis longus
Extensor carpi radialis brevis
Supinator
Extensor digitorum
Extensor digiti minimi
Extensor carpi ulnaris
Abductor pollicis longus
Extensor pollicis brevis
Extensor pollicis longus
Extensor indicis

Flexors:

Flexor carpi ulnaris

Flexor digitorum profundus

The superficial branch of


the radial nerve provides
sensory innervation to
much of the back of the
hand, including the web of
skin between the thumb
and index finger.

4-5 palmary digits

Hypothenar muscles:

Opponens digiti minimi

Abductor digiti minimi

Flexor digiti minimi brevis

Function: flex wrist


and
digits
4-5,
abduct and adduct
digits 2-5

Median n.

Sensory decit

The 3-4 lumbrical muscles

Dorsal interossei

Palmar interossei

Carpal tunnel syndrome: injures of the median


nerve in the transverse carpal ligament of the
wrist
Causes: rheumatoid arthritis and pregnancy most
common
causes.
Pain, numbness, or paresthesias in the thumb,
index finger, second finger, third finger, and the
radial side of fourth finger; thenar atrophy
produces "ape" hand appearance
loss of pronation, opposition
movements of thumb are lost

and

Pope's Blessing / Hand of Benediction

flexion

Pronator teres
Flexor carpi radialis
Palmaris longus
Flexor digitorum superficialis muscle
lateral (radial) half of Flexor digitorum
profundus
Flexor pollicis longus
Pronator quadratus

in palmar side of the hand


sensation of lateral part of
hand, first three fingers
and lateral half of the
fourth finger and in dorsal
side sensation of distal
portions of first three
fingers and lateral half of
distal portion of fourth
finger is lost.

(Erb-Duchenne Palsy) is a paralysis of the arm caused by injury to the upper group of the arm's
main nerves (specifically, spinal roots C5-C7), almost always occurring during birth.
Brachial plexus lesion involving C5 and C6
"Waiter's tip deformity

Thoracic outlet syndrome (Klumpkes palsy) An embryologic defect; can compress subclavian
artery and inferior trunk of brachial plexus (C8, T1)
1. Atrophy of the thenar and hypothenar eminences
2. Atrophy of the interosseous muscles
3. Sensory decits on the medial side of the forearm and hand
4. Disappearance of the radial pulse upon moving the head toward the opposite side

Nerve name Cause of injury Motor deficit Sensory deficit Long thoracic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_thoracic_nerve
(Erb-Duchenne Palsy) is a paralysis of the arm caused by injury to the upper group of the arm's main nerves (specifically,

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