Overview
Feel For
- A palpable, enlarged peripheral nerve - often more than 5mm in diameter.
Common Sites to Palpate
- Ulnar nerve - between the medial epicondyle and olecranon at the elbow
- Median nerve - over the palmar aspect of the wrist
- Radial nerve - in the snuffbox
Causes of Peripheral Nerve Enlargement
- Leprosy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth
- Neurofibromatosis
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
Ulnar Nerve Subluxation
How to Elicit
- Palpate the ulnar nerve while the patient flexes and extends their elbow. Note whether the ulnar nerve is transposed anteriorly over the medial epicondyle.
Significance
- Ulnar nerve subluxation is often normal, though may be a cause of cubital tunnel syndrome.
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