Median nerve

The median nerve is a major peripheral nerve of the upper limb, arising from the lateral and medial cords of the brachial plexus with fibers from roots C5-T1. It traverses the medial arm, enters the forearm, and passes into the hand via the carpal tunnel. The nerve provides motor innervation to most of the flexor muscles in the anterior forearm (apart from flexor carpi ulnaris and the ulnar half of flexor digitorum profundus), the thenar muscles, and the first and second lumbricals, enabling many fine and gross motor functions of the hand. It also conveys sensory information from the palmar surface of the lateral three and a half fingers, the adjacent palm, and the nail beds of those fingers. Damage to the median nerve classically results in loss of thumb opposition, impaired wrist and finger flexion, and sensory deficits in its area of distribution. The most common neuropathy affecting the median nerve is carpal tunnel syndrome, due to compression of the nerve at the wrist.

Other names

Nervus medianusMedianus nerveeye of the hand