Brachial plexus

Looks like

A braid of nerve roots from the lower neck, passing under the collarbone into the armpit.

What it does

Every movement and sensation of the arm and hand starts here.

Keeping it well

Do not sleep with the arm hanging; a stretch injury at birth or in a crash can weaken the whole arm.

Its parts

• Branches of medial cord of brachial plexus
• Supraclavicular part of brachial plexus
• Branches of posterior cord of brachial plexus
• Supraclavicular branches of brachial plexus
• Branches of lateral cord of brachial plexus
• Infraclavicular part of brachial plexus

Related conditions

• Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
• Botulism
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Chronic neuropathic pain
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Lyme disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Rabies
• Restless legs syndrome
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Shoulder dislocation
• Tetanus
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies