CLAW HAND

Course overview

ULNAR NERVE PALSY IS THE LOSS OF SENSORY AND MOTOR FUNCTION. THIS CAN OCCUR AFTER INJURY TO ANY PORTION OF THE ULNAR NERVE. THE ULNAR NERVE IS THE TERMINAL BRANCH OF THE MEDIAL CORD (C8, T1). THE ULNAR NERVE INNERVATES THE FLEXOR CARPI ULNARIS AND THE FLEXOR DIGITORUM PROFUNDUS AFTER IT PASSES THROUGH THE CUBITAL TUNNEL. WHEN THE ULNAR NERVE IS INJURED, THE MUSCLES INNERVATED BY THE NERVE BEGIN TO WEAKEN. THIS LEADS TO AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE STRONG EXTRINSIC MUSCLES (I.E., EXTENSOR DIGITORUM COMMUNIS) AND THE WEAKENED INTRINSIC MUSCLES (I.E., INTEROSSEOUS AND LUMBRICAL). THIS IMBALANCE IS CHARACTERIZED CLINICALLY BY METACARPOPHALANGEAL (MCP) HYPEREXTENSION AND PROXIMAL INTERPHALANGEAL (PIP) AND DISTAL INTERPHALANGEAL (DIP) FLEXION. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF ULNAR NERVE PALSY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS CONDITION.