Conditions & Diagnoses: A-Z

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Radial Nerve Injury

Definition:
Damage, harm, or loss to the radial nerve particularly as the result of external force.
Symptoms:
  • Abnormal sensations in hand or forearm (dorsal hand, radial surface, 2nd and 3rd fingers)
  • Difficulty straightening the arm at the elbow
  • Difficulty bending the hand back at the wrist, or even holding the hand
  • Numbness, decreased sensation, tingling, or burning sensation
  • Pain
  • Wrist drop
Causes:
  • Improper use of crutches
  • Broken upper arm bone
  • Long-term or repeated constriction of the wrist
  • Pressure caused by hanging the arm over the back of a chair
  • Pressure to the upper arm from arm positions during sleep or coma
  • Pinching of the nerve during deep sleep, such as when a person is intoxicated
  • Long-term pressure on the nerve, usually caused by swelling or injury of nearby body structures
  • Lead poisoning
Treatment:
  • ROM and stretching to hand
  • Hand intrinsic strengthening
  • Upper extremity strengthening