CLINICAL-RADIAL NERVE EXAMINATION

SUMMARY

SIMPLE ANATOMY
1. Motor nerve: triceps, brachioradialis, forearm extensors; C5-8.

EXAMINATION
1. Inspect: wrist drop.
2. Ask the patient to flex the elbow, pronate the forearm and extend the wrist and fingers.
3. If the lesion is above the upper 1/3 of the arm, the triceps will be involved.
4. Sensation is lost over the anatomical snuff box if lesion is above PIN bifurcation.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].