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Cubital Fossa, Front of Forearm – Superficial flexor muscles
These specimens show the cubital fossa.
The Cubital fossa is a depressed area situated in the front of the elbow. The median nerve, the Brachial artery, the biceps brachii tendon and the radial nerve are its contents. Its roof is made up of the skin, the superficial fascia and the deep fascia with the bicipital aponeurosis. The floor is made up of the supinator and the brachialis muscles.
Median nerve:
The Median nerve is a branch of the brachial plexus. It has two roots coming from the medial cord and the lateral cord of brachial plexus. It traverses through the front of the arm and passes through the cubital fossa to enter the front of the forearm. It supplies most of the muscles of the forearm and the hand that are involved in coarse movements. Hence this nerve is also known as labourer’s nerve. Before passing into the hand, the nerve could be trapped in the wrist, causing a clinical condition called, the carpal tunnel syndrome. This syndrome is manifested by numbness, tingling sensation or weakness in the hand.
Brachial artery:
The Brachial artery is a continuation of the axillary artery at the lower border of teres major muscle. It passes through the front of the arm and the cubital fossa and bifurcates into two terminal branches at the level of the neck of the radius into the radial artery and the ulnar artery. It is usually used to check blood pressure around the lower part of the arm.
Biceps brachii tendon:
The biceps brachii muscle, is muscle of the front of the arm. It has two heads of origin: short head and long head. These heads arise from the scapula. Its rounded tendon inserts into the radial tuberosity and its aponeurosis (bicipital aponeurosis) inserts into the skin along the medial aspect of the forearm. It is supplied by the musculocutaneous nerve. Its main action is supination of forearm when the elbow is flexed.
Bicipital aponeurosis:
The bicipital aponeurosis is the insertion of the biceps brachii muscle. It inserts into the skin along the medial aspect of the forearm.
Radial nerve:
The radial nerve is a branch of the posterior cord of the brachial plexus. It passes through the spiral groove in the humerus. It mainly supplies the muscles of the back of the upper limb. Its damage in the radial groove leads to wrist drop. In this condition, the extension of the wrist is not possible.
Brachialis:
The brachialis forms the floor of the cubital fossa. It takes origin from the front of the humerus and inserts into the ulnar tuberosity. It is supplied by the musculocutaneous nerve and the radial nerve. It is a weak flexor of the forearm.
Supinator:
The supinator forms the floor of the cubital fossa. It is supplied by the radial nerve. It helps in supination of the forearm.
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