Where is the radial nerve located?

Where is the radial nerve located?

What is the radial nerve? The radial nerve helps you move your elbow, wrist, hand and fingers. It runs down the back of the arm from the armpit to the hand.

What fingers does the radial nerve control?

The radial nerve runs down the arm and to the fingertips. If it’s injured, radial nerve pain usually occurs when your palm is pressed against something and your wrist is bent back. It’s typically a sharp, radiating, or burning pain in the back of the hand, around the thumb, and in the middle and index fingers.

Where are arm nerves located?

Radial nerve The brachial plexus travels under the clavicle and through the armpit (axilla). In the upper arm the radial nerve wraps around the back side of the humerus bone. The nerve gives function to the triceps muscles on the back of the arm to straighten the elbow.

Which muscles does radial nerve innervate?

The radial nerve and its branches provide innervation the following muscles (See Structure and Function for specific nerve branch innervations and muscle actions)[7]:

• Abductor pollicis longus.
• Anconeus.
• Brachioradialis.
• Extensor carpi radialis brevis.
• Extensor carpi radialis longus.
• Extensor carpi ulnaris.

Where does the radial nerve bifurcate?

Radial Nerve Block The radial nerve snakes its way down the lateral humerus (Fig. W16-23, A) until it enters the antecubital fossa between the brachioradialis (lateral) and brachialis (medial) muscles (Fig. W16-23, B) and bifurcates into the sensory and motor branches.

Where does the radial nerve split?

The nerve enters the anterior compartment by piercing through the lateral intermuscular septum where it continues between brachialis and brachioradialis. Anterior to the lateral epicondyle the nerve splits into its terminal superficial and deep branches.

Where does the radial nerve originate?

The radial nerve originates from the posterior cord of the brachial plexus with root values of C5 to C8 and T1. From the brachial plexus, it travels behind the third part of the axillary artery (part of the axillary artery distal to the pectoralis minor).

Where do you feel radial nerve pain?

A radial nerve injury usually causes symptoms in the back of your hand, near your thumb, and in your index and middle fingers. Symptoms may include a sharp or burning pain, as well as unusual sensations in your thumb and fingers. It’s common to experience numbness, tingling, and trouble straightening your arm.

What type of nerve is the radial nerve?

Origin and course The radial nerve is the largest terminal branch of the brachial plexus. It originates from the posterior cord along with the axillary nerve, carrying fibers from ventral roots of spinal nerves C5-C8 and T1.

Where is the radial nerve in hand?

The radial nerve runs down the underside of your arm and controls movement of the triceps muscle, which is located at the back of the upper arm. The radial nerve is responsible for extending the wrist and fingers. It also controls sensation in part of the hand.

What does radial nerve pain feel like?

Symptoms of an injury to the radial nerve Symptoms may include a sharp or burning pain, as well as unusual sensations in your thumb and fingers. It’s common to experience numbness, tingling, and trouble straightening your arm. You may also find that you can’t extend or straighten your wrist and fingers.

Where is the deep branch of the radial nerve located?

Deep branch (motor) – innervates the muscles in the posterior compartment of the forearm. Superficial branch (sensory) – contributes to the cutaneous innervation of the dorsal hand and fingers. The radial nerve innervates the muscles located in the posterior arm and posterior forearm.

What kind of damage does the radial nerve have?

Radial nerve. If the damage only affects one nerve group, like the radial nerve, it is called mono-neuropathy. The radial nerve passes through the humerus spiral groove and the arch formed by the attachment of the humerus and triceps. It also passes through the lateral intermuscular septum and the Arcade of Frohse.

What are the motor and sensory functions of the radial nerve?

Motor functions – the triceps brachii and muscles in posterior compartment are affected. The patient is unable to extend at the forearm, wrist and fingers. Unopposed flexion of wrist occurs, known as wrist-drop. Sensory functions – all four cutaneous branches of the radial nerve are affected.

When does the radial nerve pierce the supinator muscle?

Note: When the deep branch of the radial nerve penetrates the supinator muscle of the forearm, it is termed the posterior interosseous nerve for the remainder of its course. Fig 2 – The deep branch of the radial nerve pierces the supinator muscle, and is renamed the posterior interosseous nerve.