Radial nerve

Looks like

A nerve spiralling round the back of the arm bone, then fanning over the back of the forearm.

What it does

Straightens the wrist and fingers and feels the back of the hand.

Keeping it well

Do not sleep with the arm over a chair back — the classic cause of a wrist that will not lift.

Its parts

• Deep branch of radial nerve
• Inferior lateral brachial cutaneous nerve
• Muscular branches of radial nerve
• Posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve
• Superficial branch of radial nerve

Related conditions

• Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
• Botulism
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Chronic neuropathic pain
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Lyme disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Rabies
• Restless legs syndrome
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Tetanus
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies