Wrist Drop (Radial Neuropathy)

Signs and Symptoms Did you know? • Weakness in the hand and/or arm, leading The radial nerve supplies to finger and a wrist drop. You may have Compression site your triceps and forearm difficulty: Spiral Groove muscles. As the radial nerve • Extending the elbow— works its way down our pushing objects or doing push ups. arm it wraps around your humerus (bone in upper • Flexing the elbow— arm) at a region called the lifting objects like hammers or mugs. Areas of sensation (blue shading) spiral groove. • Supination of the hand/forearm— Most common the nerve turning your hand palm side up. can be pinched at the • Extending the wrist and fingers—fine motor tasks such as spiral groove giving rise playing piano and/or typing on keyboard or touchscreen. to a condition coined as • You may experience numbness, pins and needles, and/or “Saturday night palsy.” burning pain in the back of the hand and parts of the forearm. Less common the nerve • You may notice wasting or thinning of your forearm and triceps can be compressed at your muscles. arm pit (crutch palsy), your forearm (PIN syndrome) or at the wrist (numbness only). Treatment Less common • First treatment is conservative, compression sites Risk Factors allowing the nerve time to heal without surgery: • Sleeping or spending • Avoid pressure to the extended time in Most common radial nerve. Area of compression site awkward positions numbness/burning (arm hanging off chair or • Avoid situations which put the arm rest) nerve at risk (passing out in awkward positions). • Trauma or fractures of • Use of a wrist drop splint/orthotic to support the wrist. the arm • Range of motion exercises to prevent contractures. • Wearing tight bracelets • If first treatment fails surgery may be needed to release (compression at the wrist) pressure on the nerve (radial tunnel release). A referral to a • Improper use of crutches plastic surgeon is needed. • Diabetes • As the nerve recovers and strength is regained, it is recommended to use physiotherapy to safely strengthen the muscles and regain function. For more copies, go online at http://vch.eduhealth.ca or email [email protected] and quote Catalogue No. FB.830.W752 © Vancouver Coastal Health, June 2020 The information in this document is intended solely for the person to whom it was given by the health care team. www.vch.ca