How to Draw the Brachial Plexus

Directions

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Educational Purpose

This brief, animated PowerPoint presentation guides anatomy students through the process of making a simple drawing of the brachial plexus. This “mnemonic drawing” can help students learn the basic parts of the brachial plexus and serve as a first step in understanding this clinically important nerve network.

Begin with a letter “Y”, an “I” and a “Y”.

Add a “strike” and a “spare” (bowling scorekeeping symbols)

Draw “arches”.

Draw horizontal lines to separate the parts.

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

Begin labeling.C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Axillary Median Radial Ulnar

Late

ral Pos

teri

or

Med

ial

SLOW

Add details . . .Branches off the posterior cord spell “ULTRA”

Axillary Radial

C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Median Ulnar

Late

ral Pos

teri

or

Med

ial

Upper subscapularLower subscapularThoracodorsal

SLOWSLOW

“3M” comes off the medial cord.

Axillary Radial

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Median Ulnar

Late

ral Pos

teri

or Med

ial

Upper subscapularLower subscapularThoracodorsal

Medial pectoral n.Medial cutan. n. of armMedial cutan. n. forearm

SLOWSLOW

The lateral pectoral n. comes off the lateral cord.

Axillary Radial

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Median Ulnar

Late

ral P

oste

rior M

edi

al

Upper subscapularLower subscapularThoracodorsal

Medial pectoral n.Medial cutan. n. of armMedial cutan. n. forearm

Lateral pectoral n.

There are 4 supraclavicular branches.

Axillary Radial

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Median Ulnar

Late

ral P

oste

rior M

edi

al

Upper subscapularLower subscapularThoracodorsal

Medial pectoral n.Medial cutan. n. of armMedial cutan. n. forearm

Lateral pectoral n.

Dorsal Scapular n.

N. to subclaviusSuprascapular n.

LongThoracic n.

SLOW

That’s it! The Brachial Plexus

Axillary Radial

Roots

Trunks

Divisions

Cords

Branches

C5 C6 C7 C8 T1

Upper Middle Lower

Musculocutaneous Median Ulnar

Late

ral P

oste

rior M

edi

al

Upper subscapularLower subscapularThoracodorsal

Medial pectoral n.Medial cutan. n. of armMedial cutan. n. forearm

Lateral pectoral n.

Dorsal Scapular n.

N. to subclaviusSuprascapular n.

LongThoracic n.

The End