Question

While putting metal panels on the roof of a barn, one of the panels slips out of the hands of the man on the roof. During an attempt to catch the panel, a worker below is struck by its sharp edge. The panel hits across the anterior surface of his right arm at midlength and the impact severs all of the tissue to the bone. When examined in the emergency room it is noted that the patient can only weakly flex his elbow and the lateral side of his forearm is numb. In addition to the muscles, which nerve is injured?

A. axillary
B. median
C. musculocutaneous
D. radial
E. ulnar

Answer 1

The median nerve is most likely injured in this scenario, causing weak flexion of the elbow and numbness in the lateral side of the forearm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nerve that is most likely to be injured in this scenario is the median nerve.

The median nerve is responsible for innervating the muscles of the anterior forearm and provides sensation to the lateral side of the palm and fingers.

When the panel struck the anterior surface of the worker's right arm at midlength, it likely caused damage to the median nerve, resulting in the weak flexion of the elbow and numbness in the lateral side of the forearm.