Anatomy study note · Upper limb

Median nerve

A nerve formed from the lateral and medial cords (C5–T1). It gives no branches in the arm, supplies most of the forearm flexors, and in the hand supplies the thenar muscles, two lumbricals and the skin of the lateral 3½ fingers.

Key points

• Lateral + medial cords (C5–T1). No branches in the arm.
• Between the heads of pronator teres; through the carpal tunnel.
• All anterior forearm muscles except FCU and medial half of FDP.
• Hand: lateral 2 lumbricals, opponens pollicis, APB, FPB.
• Lesion: ape hand, loss of opposition, lateral 3½ fingers numb.
• Upper limb nerves: C4–T2 segments; lower limb: L2–S2.
• Ventral root: basal-lamina neurons. Dorsal root: neural-crest ganglion cells.
• Nerve: epineurium → perineurium (blood–nerve barrier) → endoneurium.
• Cut nerve: Wallerian degeneration; regrows 0.5–3 mm/day.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Course · Branches · Histology · Development · Clinical notes

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Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 3, PDF pp. 345–347, 357–364
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 17, PDF pp. 318, 321, 323–325; ch. 10, PDF pp. 143–144
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 9, PDF pp. 163–166, 171–172

More from the upper limb

• Metacarpal bones
• Metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the hand
• Musculocutaneous nerve
• Nerve to subclavius
• Palmar aponeurosis
• Palmaris longus
• Pectoral nerves
• Pectoralis major
• Pectoralis minor
• Phalanges of the hand
• Pronator quadratus
• Pronator teres

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