|
| |
| Nerve lesions
in upper limb |
| Quick synopsis |
 | Carpal tunnel: weak abductor pollicis brevis,
numb 3 and a half fingers. |
| Ulnar nerve: weak finger abduction, numb 1
and half finger. |
| Radial nerve palsy: wrist drop, numb on
dorsum web between thumb and index. |
|
| Nerve |
Symptoms, Signs and most common cause |
| Axillary |
| Pain: shoulder tip |
| Cause: fracture neck of humerus, dislocated shoulder,
deep IM injection. |
| Motor weakness: deltoid. |
| Sensory loss: small area over deltoid. |
| Reflex: none |
|
Musculo-
cutaneous |
| Pain: Lateral forearm to wrist. |
| Cause: rarely damaged. |
| Motor weakness: biceps and
brachialis. |
| Sensory loss: dorsum of thumb. |
| Reflex: biceps. |
|
| Radial |
| Pain: dorsum of thumb and index. |
| Cause: Crutch palsy, Saturday night palsy, fractured
humerus. |
| Motor weakness: Triceps, wrist and finger extensors,
brachioradialis and supinator of forearm. |
| Sensory loss: dorsum of thumb and index. |
| Reflex: triceps and supinator jerks. |
|
| Median |
| Pain: thumb, index and
middle finger, often spread up to forearm. |
| Cause:
|
| Motor weakness:
 | at elbow: wrist flexors |
| Anterior interosseus nerve: long finger flexors
to thumb, index and middle fingers |
| Wrist: abductor pollicis brevis. |
|
| Sensory loss: thumb, index, middle and
half of ring finger. |
| Reflex: finger jerk. |
|
| Ulnar |
| Pain: Little finger and half of ring finger. |
| Cause:
| Elbow: local trauma, prolonged pressure, repeated
minor trauma, fractured olecranon. |
| Wrist: local trauma, ganglion cyst at wrist. |
|
| Motor weakness: All small muscles in hand except
Abductor pollicis brevis. |
| Sensory loss: Little
finger and half of ring finger. |
| Reflex: none |
|
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