Introduction to the

UPPER LIMB
 introduction
• The upper limb is a multijointed lever that is freely
movable on the trunk at the shoulder joint.
• At the distal end of the upper limb is the important
organ, the hand.
• Much of the importance of the hand depends on the
pincer-like action of the thumb, which enables one
to grasp objects between the thumb and index
finger.
• The upper limb is divided into the shoulder (junction
of the trunk with the arm), arm, elbow, forearm,
wrist, and hand.
The upper limb
is part of the
appendicular
skeleton
 Upper limb
• includes the shoulder, arm, forearm, and hand.
• It is continuous with the lower neck and is suspended
from the trunk at the shoulder.
• It is anatomically and clinically convenient and
beneficial to divide the limb into its functional muscle
compartments and to review the nerve(s) and vessels
supplying these compartments.
• Thus, for each component of the upper limb, we will
focus on organizing the clinical anatomy into
functional compartments and understanding how
that anatomy is ideally suited for a wide range of
motion, thereby allowing us to manipulate our
surrounding environment
 SURFACE ANATOMY
• Acromion: attachment site of the trapezius and deltoid muscles; easily
palpable
• Clavicle: long bone that lies subcutaneously throughout its length
• Olecranon: elbow and proximal portion of the ulna
• Deltoid muscle: muscle that caps the shoulder
• Flexor tendons: wrist and finger flexors that are visible at the distal
anterior forearm
• Extensor tendons: wrist and finger extensors that are visible on the
dorsum of the hand
• Thenar eminence: cone of muscles at the base of the thumb
• Hypothenar eminence: cone of muscles at the base of the little finger
• Dorsal venous network: veins seen on the dorsum of the hand
• Cephalic vein: subcutaneous vein that drains the lateral forearm and arm
into the axillary vein
• Basilic vein: vein that drains the medial forearm and distal arm into the
axillary vein
• Median cubital vein: vein that lies in the cubital fossa (anterior aspect of
the elbow); is commonly used for venipuncture
 Superficial veins of upper limb
• a set of superficial and deep veins drain the upper
limb
– Superficial veins drain blood toward the heart and
communicate with deep veins that parallel the major
arteries of the upper limb.
– When vigorous muscle contraction increases the blood
flow to the limb and compresses the deep veins, venous
blood is shunted into the superficial veins and then
returned to the heart. (The veins become more
prominent as the limb is being exercised, e.g., when
lifting weights.)
– These veins have valves to assist in venous return.
 Superficial nerves of upper limb
• Cutaneous nerves also lie in the superficial
fascia and
• are the terminal sensory branches of the
major nerves
• These nerves arise from the brachial plexus
(ventral rami of C5-T1 spinal levels)
 We will study the upper limb divided
into the following sections:
1. Pectoral region
2. Axilla
3. The Superficial Part of the Back and the Scapular Region
4. Sternoclavicular Joint
5. Acromioclavicular Joint
6. Shoulder joint
7. The Scapular–Humeral Mechanism
8. Upper Arm
9. Cubital fossa
10. Bones of forearm
11. Bones of hand
12. Forearm
13. Wrist
14. Palm of the hand
15. Dorsum of the hand
16. Joints of the upper limb
 Thank U 

Next topic: the pectoral region