MEDIAN NERVE PALSI
ROOTS
C5-8 and T
CAUSES OF MEDIAN NERVE PALSY
Trauma, dislocation of shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.
CLINICAL FEATURES
MEDIAN NERVE PALSY Patient may complain of difficulty in pronation of the forearm. There may be ulnar deviation of the wrist when it is flexed against resistance. There is difficulty in flexing the terminal phalanx of the thumb, index and remaining fingers. There is inability to flex the interphalangeal joint of the index finger when the hands clasp each other (Ochner’s sign). Abduction of the thumb at right angle to the plane of the palm is difficult to perform as Abductor pollicis brevis is involved. Wasting of the thenar eminence is prominent. Sensory loss is variable and may be confined to the terminal phalanges of the index and middle fingers on the radial half of the hand.
TREATMENT
Splinting is necessary to prevent stretching of the paralysed muscles. Surgical suture of the nerve may be required.