Generality
The median nerve is an important peripheral nerve of the upper limbs, which originates from the so-called brachial plexus and runs first through the arm, then the whole forearm and finally reaches the hand passing through the “famous” carpal tunnel.
Having both a motor function and a sensory function, the median nerve contains the nerve fibers of the spinal roots C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1. Along its path, the nerve in question gives rise to several branches: at the level of the forearm, it forms the anterior interosseous nerve, which innervates the anterior muscles of the forearm, and the palmar cutaneous nerve, which innervates the skin of the palm of the hand; at the level of the hand, it ends with the recurrent branch of the median nerve, which has exclusively motor function, and the digital palmar branch, which contains both sensory and motor fibers.
The median nerve is known to most people because it is the protagonist of a nerve compression syndrome, known as carpal tunnel syndrome. This medical condition arises as a result of compression of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel level.
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