Cubital nerve

Cubital Nerve

The cubital nerve and its branches. (Image from Gray's Anatomy)

The cubital nerve or ulnar nerve is one of the major nerves of the upper limb. It is responsible for innervating the muscles of the forearm and hand, and it carries sensory information from the hand back to the brain.

Anatomy

The cubital nerve originates from the brachial plexus, carrying fibers from the eighth cervical and first thoracic roots. It travels down the arm, passing posterior to the medial epicondyle of the humerus, where it is commonly injured, resulting in a condition known as "cubital tunnel syndrome".

The course and distribution of the cubital nerve.

Branches and Innervation

The cubital nerve gives off several branches along its course, including muscular branches, cutaneous branches, and articular branches. These branches innervate various structures in the forearm and hand, including the flexor carpi ulnaris and the medial half of the flexor digitorum profundus.

Clinical Significance

Injury to the cubital nerve can result in a variety of symptoms, including weakness or paralysis of the muscles it innervates, sensory loss in the hand, and a claw-like deformity of the hand known as "ulnar claw".

See Also

• Nervous system
• Peripheral nerve injury
• Cubital tunnel syndrome