The median nerve arises from the lateral cord of the brachial plexus.
The nerve arches around the brachial artery in the upper arm and lies medial to the artery in the cubital fossa.
At the level of the elbow, the nerve leaves the artery, passes under the bicipital aponeurosis and between the two heads of the pronator teres to enter the anterior compartment of the lower arm.
It there crosses anterior to the ulnar artery and becomes closely bound to the fascia of the flexor digitorum superficialis.
As the muscles changes to the tendon in the lower half of the arm, the median nerve runs with the tendons of index and middle fingers to the carpal tunnel where it divides into its terminal branches to:
- the thenar,
- the radial lumbricals
- the palmar aspect and the radial side of the hand and the 3 1/2 radial fingers.
Compression localisations