Axillary nerve
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Knipe H, Hacking C, Moore C, et al. Axillary nerve. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 15 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-24692
rID:
24692
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
12 times, by
8 contributors -
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The axillary nerve is one of five terminal branches of the brachial plexus, supplying motor and sensory branches to the shoulder.
On this page:
Summary
- origin: posterior cord of the brachial plexus
- course: passes out of axilla through the quadrangular space to the upper arm
- major branches: superior lateral cutaneous nerve of the arm
- motor supply: deltoid and teres minor muscles
- sensory supply: skin overlying deltoid muscle
Gross anatomy
Origin
The axillary nerve is one of two terminal branches of the posterior cord of the brachial plexus. It receives contributions from C5-6 nerve roots.
Course
Lying posteriorly to the axillary artery in the axilla, it passes inferiorly to the shoulder joint, exiting the axilla through the quadrangular space, with the posterior circumflex humeral artery, to supply the deltoid muscle and a small patch of overlying skin.
Branches and supply
- muscular branches: deltoid and teres minor muscles
- articular branches to the glenohumeral joint
- superior lateral cutaneous nerve of the arm: skin overlying the deltoid muscle
Variants
Some known more common variants include that the nerve:
- may only have C5 fibers
- may supply subscapularis
- branches to the long head of the triceps
- branches to the infraspinatus
- may supply teres major
References
- 1. Rosse C, Gaddum-Rosse P. Hollinshead's textbook of anatomy. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (1997) ISBN:0397512562. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Butler P, Mitchell A, Healy JC. Applied Radiological Anatomy. Cambridge University Press. (2012) ISBN:0521766664. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 5. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. ISBN: 9780702052309
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Related articles: Anatomy: Upper limb
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skeleton of the upper limb
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accessory ossicles of the wrist (mnemonic)
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shoulder joint
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glenohumeral joint
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shoulder joint
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wrist joint
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ligaments
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accessory muscles
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