Quick Facts
Origin: Median nerve (C8-T1).
Course: Travels laterally, curving slightly around the flexor retinaculum to the thenar muscles.
Branches: No named branches.
Supply: Thenar muscles (abductor pollicis brevis, opponens pollicis brevis, flexor pollicis brevis muscles).
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The recurrent branch of the median nerve arises from the lateral side of median nerve, just distal to the flexor retinaculum (C8-T1).
Course
The median nerve enters the palm by passing deep to the flexor retinaculum where it lies in the narrow space of the carpal tunnel. Immediately below the retinaculum the nerve gives off a lateral branch, namely the recurrent branch.
The recurrent branch curves slightly upwards around the distal border of the flexor retinaculum to lie superficial to the flexor pollicis brevis muscle.
The recurrent branch of the median nerve may vary in origin and can arise from the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. In this instance, it pierces the flexor retinaculum to reach the thenar muscles.
Branches
No named branches.
Supplied Structures
The recurrent branch of the median nerve supplies motor innervation to the thenar muscles (abductor pollicis brevis, opponens pollicis brevis, flexor pollicis brevis muscles).
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Median Nerve
The median nerve is a terminal branch nerve of the brachial plexus formed from the medial and lateral cords.
