The musculocutaneous nerve
Musculocutaneous nerve · nervus musculocutaneus
The nerve that powers your biceps and gives feeling to the outer forearm.
What it does
The musculocutaneous nerve pierces the coracobrachialis and runs between the biceps and brachialis, supplying all three. Below the elbow it continues as a skin nerve, carrying feeling from the outer side of the forearm.
Surprising fact
Its name is a description: it supplies both muscles and skin.
Why it matters
Doctors test it with the biceps reflex, tapping the tendon in the crook of your elbow to make the muscle twitch.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.