Radial nerve dysfunction

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Radial nerve dysfunction

Alternative Names:

Neuropathy - radial nerve ; Radial nerve palsy
Symptoms:

Symptoms can affect the following:

The hand or forearm (dorsal surface, the "back" of the hand)
The "thumb side" (radial surface) of the dorsal hand
The fingers nearest the thumb (2nd and 3rd)

The following symptoms may occur:

Numbness, decreased sensation, tingling, or burning sensation
Pain
Abnormal sensations
Difficulty extending the arm at the elbow
Difficulty extending the wrist

Signs and tests:

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A neuromuscular examination of the arm, hand, and wrist may identify radial nerve dysfunction. There may be weakness of the wrist and finger extension muscles with decreased ability to extend the arm at the elbow, a minor decreased ability to rotate the arm outward (supination), or difficulty lifting the wrist or fingers (extensor muscle weakness).

Wrist drop or finger drop may be present, or there may be atrophy (muscle loss) of some of the muscles of the forearm. A detailed patient history may be needed to determine the possible cause of the neuropathy. Rarely, radial nerve dysfunction may be difficult to differentiate from a stroke in the brain.

Tests that reveal nerve dysfunction may include:

EMG (a recording of electrical activity in muscles)
Nerve conduction tests
Nerve biopsy
Head MRI (to rule out stroke)

Tests are guided by the suspected cause of the dysfunction, as suggested by the history, symptoms, and pattern of symptom development. They may include various blood tests, x-rays, scans, or other tests and procedures.