radial nerve

Thân thiện

A student studies a diagram of the radial nerve in an anatomy textbook.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A major peripheral nerve of the upper limb: The radial nerve is the largest branch of the brachial plexus. It travels along the humerus (the upper arm bone) to the lateral epicondyle (the outer part of the elbow). There, it divides into two main branches: one provides sensory innervation to the skin on the back of the hand, and the other supplies motor function to the extensor muscles of the forearm and hand.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Damage to the radial nerve can cause wrist drop, an inability to extend the wrist.
  • The surgeon carefully avoided the radial nerve during the procedure on the humerus.
  • Numbness on the back of the hand can indicate radial nerve involvement.

Advanced Usage

• "Radial nerve palsy": A condition resulting from injury to the radial nerve, leading to characteristic weakness or paralysis.
  • The patient presented with radial nerve palsy after sustaining a fracture to the mid-shaft of the humerus.

Variants and Related Words

• Radial neuropathy (n): A general term for disease or dysfunction of the radial nerve.
  • Compression is a common cause of radial neuropathy.

Synonyms

• Musculospiral nerve: An older anatomical term for the radial nerve.

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Brachial plexus: The network of nerves in the shoulder from which the radial nerve originates.
• Humerus: The bone of the upper arm, alongside which the radial nerve runs.
• Extensor muscles: The muscles, primarily in the forearm, that are responsible for extending the wrist and fingers, which are innervated by the radial nerve.

Học thuật

Noun

1. largest branch of the brachial plexus; extends down the humerus to the lateral epicondyle where it divides into one branch that goes to the skin on the back of the hand and another that goes to the underlying extensor muscles

Từ đồng nghĩa

• nervus radialis
• musculospiral nerve