What nerve injury is associated with a humeral shaft fracture?

What nerve injury is associated with a humeral shaft fracture?

• A. Radial nerve
• B. Median nerve
• C. Ulnar nerve
• D. Axillary nerve

Answer: (A)

The radial nerve is the nerve most at risk with a humeral shaft fracture because it runs in the radial groove along the posterior midshaft of the humerus, right up against the bone. When it is injured there, you typically see weakness of wrist and finger extension, producing a wrist drop, and sensory loss over the dorsoradial forearm and dorsum of the hand. Elbow extension is often preserved because the nerve’s branches to the triceps come off proximal to the fracture. This pattern is distinct from injuries at other sites (for example, axillary nerve injury with shoulder fractures or median/ulnar nerve injuries with injuries at the elbow or forearm). So the nerve associated with a humeral shaft fracture is the radial nerve.

The radial nerve is the nerve most at risk with a humeral shaft fracture because it runs in the radial groove along the posterior midshaft of the humerus, right up against the bone. When it is injured there, you typically see weakness of wrist and finger extension, producing a wrist drop, and sensory loss over the dorsoradial forearm and dorsum of the hand. Elbow extension is often preserved because the nerve’s branches to the triceps come off proximal to the fracture. This pattern is distinct from injuries at other sites (for example, axillary nerve injury with shoulder fractures or median/ulnar nerve injuries with injuries at the elbow or forearm). So the nerve associated with a humeral shaft fracture is the radial nerve.