Brachial Plexus Flashcards
What is the brachial plexus?
A network of nerves that lives in the armpit (axilla) and controls movement and sensation in the upper extremity (arm and hand)
What is the superior boundary of the axilla?
The clavicle, the scapula, and the 1st rib
What is the inferior boundary of the axilla?
The skin at the lower borders of the pectoralis major and the teres major/latissimus dorsi
What is the anterior boundary of the axilla?
The pectoral muscles
What is the posterior boundary of the axilla?
The subscapularis
What is the medial boundary of the axilla?
The serratus anterior
What is the lateral boundary of the axilla?
The humerus
What are the contents of the axilla?
The brachial plexus, axillary fat and fascia, axillary vessels and branches, and axillary lymph nodes
When does the axillary artery become brachial?
When it crosses the lateral border of the teres major
What are the nerves coming out of the roots?
The dorsal scapular and the long thoracic nerve
Which trunks have branches?
Only the upper trunk has branches, the middle and the lower trunks do not have branches
Which nerves come off the divisions?
No nerves come off the divisions
What nerves come off the superior trunk of the brachial plexus?
The suprascapular nerve and the nerve to subclavian
What nerves come off the lateral cord of the brachial plexus?
Lateral pectoral
What nerves come off the posterior cord of the brachial plexus?
The lower subscapular, the upper subscapular, and the thoracodorsal (middle subscapular)
