Practice Quiz - Forearm & Wrist


  1. Supination of the hand and forearm would be diminished by loss of radial nerve function. But one very powerful supinator would remain intact and unaffected, namely:
    Biceps brachii
    Flexor carpi radialis
  2. A worker doing repetitive lifting develops an inflammation in the tendon of origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis muscle, commonly called "tennis elbow". The focal point of pain would most likely be near which palpable bony landmark?
    Coronoid process of ulna
    Lateral epicondyle of humerus
    Lateral supracondylar ridge of humerus
    Medial epicondyle of humerus
    Medial supracondylar ridge of humerus
    Posterior (subcutaneous) border of ulna
  3. The anterior interosseous is a branch of which nerve?
  4. What muscle is innervated by branches of both the median and ulnar nerves?
    Flexor carpi ulnaris
    Flexor digitorum profundus
    Flexor digitorum superficialis
    Flexor pollicis longus
    Pronator quadratus
  5. Interruption of the median nerve in the cubital fossa affects what movement(s) of the thumb?
  6. Compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel affects which hand muscle(s)?
    Dorsal interossei
    Flexor pollicis brevis
    Flexor pollicis longus
    Opponens digiti minimi
    Palmar interossei
  7. Structures within the carpal tunnel include the:
    Radial bursa
    Ulnar bursa
  8. A patient is severely limited in extension at the wrist joint after several months in a cast following a Colles fracture. Which joint would be especially important in therapy to regain full extension?
    distal radioulnar
  9. The victim of multiple shrapnel wounds to the upper limb must have his forearm amputated at midlength. Because of concomitant damage in the patient's arm, the surgeon must ligate the main artery at some point. The best chance of saving collateral circulation to the stump of the forearm would be when the ligature is placed just below which of the following?
    Beginning of brachial artery
    Origin of the deep brachial artery
    Origin of the superior ulnar collateral artery
    Origin of the inferior ulnar collateral artery
    Bifurcation of the brachial artery
  10. During an industrial accident, a sheet metal worker lacerates the anterior surface of his wrist at the junction of his wrist and hand. Examination reveals no loss of hand function, but the skin on the thumb side of his palm is numb. Branches of which nerve must have been severed?
    Lateral antebrachial cutaneous
    Medial antebrachial cutaneous
  11. A middle-aged woman comes to you complaining of pain on the lateral side of her right elbow, so severe that she holds her eating utensils in her left hand to eat. She says that she spent the weekend putting in a new garden plot and that it involved loosening and turning over a large area of grass sods with a garden fork. You find that the region just proximal to the lateral epicondyle of her humerus is painful to the touch. There is no sensory loss in her forearm or hand. You suspect a localized tearing of the origin of a muscle producing the equivalent of "tennis elbow." The muscle most likely involved is the:
    common flexor tendon
    extensor carpi radialis brevis
    extensor digitorum
    pronator teres
  12. A boy fell onto a sharp object and cut his deep radial nerve as it emerged from the supinator muscle. The artery joining it at this point was also injured. The injured artery is the:
    anterior interosseous
    common interosseous
    posterior interosseous
  13. While going up for a rebound, a basketball player jams her middle finger against the ball. She experiences severe pain and the trainer notes that she can no longer extend the distal phalanx of the finger. The injury has avulsed (torn away from the bone) which structure from her distal phalanx to produce this condition?
    extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon
    extensor carpi radialis longus tendon
    extensor digiti minimi tendon
    extensor expansion
    extensor indicis tendon
  14. The tendons on the dorsal side of the wrist are held in place by a thickening of the antebrachial fascia called the:
    bicipital aponeurosis
    extensor expansion
    extensor retinaculum
    interosseous membrane
    palmar carpal ligament
  15. The function of the posterior interosseous nerve is:
    motor to the brachioradialis
    motor to the extensor carpi ulnaris
    parasympathetic to the dorsum of the forearm
    sensory from the wrist joint
    sensory from the dorsum of the forearm
  16. Development of "tennis elbow" (lateral epicondylitis) involves the origin of which muscle?
    Abductor pollicis longus
    Extensor carpi radialis brevis
    Triceps brachii
  17. In an industrial accident, the artery passing lateral to the pisiform bone is cut. This artery is the
    Deep palmar arch
    Superficial palmar arch
    Superficial palmar branch of the radial artery
  18. After suffering a gunshot wound to the forearm, it was determined that the posterior interosseous nerve was severed. What function was lost?
    Sensory from the wrist joint
    Motor to brachioradialis
    Motor to the extensor carpi radialis longus
    Parasympathetic to the dorsum of the forearm
    Motor to the flexor digitorum superficialis
  19. When falling on an outstretched hand, the most commonly dislocated carpal bone is the
  20. If the musculocutaneous nerve is severed at its origin from the brachial plexus, flexion at the elbow is greatly weakened but not abolished. What muscle remains operative and can contribute to flexion?
    Long head of biceps brachii
    Short head of biceps brachii
  21. After falling on the ice, it was determined that a patient had a Colles' fracture. Care must be taken to relieve tension on the broken distal end of the radius created by the pull of which muscle?
    Extensor carpi ulnaris
    Extensor carpi radialis longus
    Pronator quadratus
    Extensor carpi radialis brevis
  22. If the tendon of palmaris longus were transected, what movement would be affected?
    Flexion of the MP and IP joints of the thumb
    Flexion of the proximal IP joints of digits 2 and 5
    Flexion of the proximal IP joints of digits 3 and 4
    Flexion of the wrist
    Extension of the wrist
  23. What muscle is supplied by both the median and ulnar nerves?
    Flexor carpi ulnaris
    Flexor digitorum profundus
    Flexor digitorum superficialis
    Flexor pollicis longus
    Pronator quadratus
  24. The pulse of the radial artery at the wrist is felt immediately lateral to which tendon?
    Abductor pollicis longus
    Extensor pollicis longus
    Flexor carpi radialis
    Flexor digitorum profundus
    Palmaris longus
  25. If the medial epicondyle of the humerus is fractured and the nerve passing dorsal to it is injured, which muscle would be most affected?
    Extensor carpi ulnaris
    Extensor digitorum
    Flexor carpi ulnaris
    Flexor digitorum profundus
    Flexor digitorum superficialis