Median nerve

Definition

The median nerve is one of the major nerves in the forearm and hand, responsible for providing sensory information from the palm side of the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and part of the ring finger, and motor control to some of the small muscles in the hand that manage thumb movements. It runs down the arm and forearm, passes through the carpal tunnel at the wrist, and enters the hand.

Related terms

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A condition caused by pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel, leading to numbness, tingling, weakness, or muscle damage in the hand and fingers.

Brachial Plexus:

A network of nerves formed by the ventral rami of cervical spinal nerves C5-C8 and thoracic spinal nerve T1, providing motor and sensory signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, forearm, hand, and fingers.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): The part of the nervous system that consists of nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spinal cord involved in transmitting signals between those central structures and other parts of the body