Nerve Injuries

Paralysis

Complete inhibition of sensory and motor information to an area.

Paresis

Partial inhibition of sensory and motor information.

Radial nerve damage

Caused by a fracture of the humerus; symptoms include wrist drop, inability to extend forearm and wrist, and loss of sensation.

Axillary nerve damage

Can be caused by shoulder dislocation; symptoms include paralysis of deltoid and teres minor, loss of sensation, and inability to abduct the shoulder.

Median nerve damage

Can be caused by carpal tunnel syndrome; symptoms include difficulty flexing the wrist, weak thumb movements, and inability to pronate (ape hand).

Musculocutaneous nerve damage

Symptoms include loss of flexion of the forearm.

Ulnar nerve damage

Symptoms include inability to adduct/abduct fingers, weakness flexing wrist, known as ‘claw hand’.

Erb-Duchenne paralysis

Caused during delivery due to excess pulling on the neck of the baby, stretching or tearing the superior trunk (C5 and C6), and effecting the brachial plexus; symptoms include a waiter tip hand.

Klumpke’s paralysis

Due to birth paralysis from pulling on the arm affecting C8 and T1 and the brachial plexus; symptoms include ‘claw hand’ and paralysis of flexors of the forearm and small muscles of the hand.

Crutch palsy

Excessive use of crutches can compress the posterior cord, affecting radial and axillary nerves, and effecting the brachial nerves.

Dermatome

Area of skin whose innervation is supplied by one pair of nerves; if the nerve is affected, certain areas of skin are affected.

Femoral nerve

Innervates anterior compartment of thigh including quadricep femoris muscles (Rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius) sartorius (allows you to cross your legs) and iliopsoas (hip flexors)

Obturator nerve

Innervates medial compartment of thigh including adductor muscles (adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, and gracilis)

oburator nerve damage

loss of adduction and internal rotation of arm, and pain in medial thigh

femoral nerve damage

damage would result in an inability to extend leg and loss of sensation

Damage to the lumbar plexus

Caused by hemorrhage, compression, pelvic fracture, or fascial entrapment due to exercise.

Sciatic nerve

Largest nerve that innervates flexors of the thigh (hamstrings).

Tibial nerve

Innervates the posterior compartment of the leg, including gastrocnemius and soleus.

Superficial fibular nerve

Innervates the lateral part of the leg (fibularis longus & brevis).

Deep fibular nerve

Innervates anterior compartment of leg including tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus, and extensor hallucis longus.

Pain or loss of sensation from buttocks

caused by dislocated hip, slipped disc, compression of piriformis and Damage to sciatic nerve & branches

Foot drop

Caused by damage to the deep fibularis nerve.

Evert foot problems

Caused by damage to the superficial fibular nerve.

Plantar flex (tip toe) problems

Caused by damage to the tibial nerve.

A fracture of the olecranon process could result in what?

Inability to abduct/adduct fingers

What muscle is innervated by the radial nerve?

extensor carpi radialis longus