Mnemonics

Brachial Plexus

• Parts of brachial plexus: "Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beer" (roots, trunks, divisions, cords, branches)
  • An alternate version substitutes "Real Truckers Drink" for "Randy Travis Drinks"
    
• Terminal branches of brachial plexus: MARMU (musculocutaneous nerve, axillary nerve, radial nerve, median nuerve, ulnar nerve)
• Lateral = Less; Medial = More (lateral pectoral nerve only innervates pectoralis major, medial pectoral nerve innervates both pectoralis major and pectoralis minor)

Hand

• Hand muscles innervated by median nerve: 1/2-LOAF-1/2 ("half loaf half")
  • 1/2-L: lateral two lumbricals
  • O: opponens pollicis
  • A: abductor pollicis brevis
  • F-1/2: flexor pollicis brevis (except deep head)
• Interossei actions
  • Dorsal interosseous muscles ABduct fingers (DAB)
  • Palmar interosseous muscles ADduct the fingers (PAD)
  • *Note: This mnemonic just helps you remember which interosseus muscles abduct and which ones adduct. However, in addition to abduction and adduction, both the dorsal and palmar interossei muscles also flex the MCP joints and extend the PIP and DIP joints.

Thigh and Leg

• Order of structures at medial malleolus from anterior to posterior: Tom, Dick, ANd Harry (tibialis posterior tendon, flexor digitorum longus tendon, posterior tibial artery, tibial nerve, flexor hallucis longus muscle)

Misc

• Branches of subclavian artery: VIT CD  ("Vitamin C and D") : vertebral artery, internal thoracic artery, thyrocervical trunk, costocervical trunk, dorsal scapular artery
• Latissimus dorsi is the "lady between two majors": It inserts into the floor of the intertubercular groove, while pectoralis major inserts on lateral lip and teres major inserts on medial lip
• Contents of cubital fossa: "MEN BARf BeTweenRouNds" (from medial to lateral: median nerve, brachial artery, biceps tendon, radial nerve)
  • Note: some sources do not include the radial nerve in the cubital fossa.