The medial cord is the part of the

brachial plexus The brachial plexus is a network () of nerves formed by the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and first thoracic nerve ( C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1). This plexus extends from the spinal cord, through the cervicoaxillary canal in th ...

formed by of the anterior division of the lower trunk (C8-T1). Its name comes from it being medial to the

axillary artery In human anatomy, the axillary artery is a large blood vessel that conveys oxygenated blood to the lateral aspect of the thorax, the axilla (armpit) and the upper limb. Its origin is at the lateral margin of the first rib, before which it is ...

as it passes through the

axilla The axilla (also, armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded superior ...

. The other cords of the brachial plexus are the

posterior cord The posterior cord is a part of the brachial plexus The brachial plexus is a network () of nerves formed by the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and first thoracic nerve ( C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1). This plexus extends from the ...

and

lateral cord The lateral cord is the part of the brachial plexus formed by the anterior divisions of the upper (C5-C6) and middle trunks (C7). Its name comes from it being lateral to the axillary artery as it passes through the axilla. The other cords of the br ...

. The medial cord gives rise to the following nerves from proximal to distal: *

medial pectoral nerve The medial pectoral nerve (also known as the medial anterior thoracic nerve) arises from the medial cord (sometimes directly from the anterior division of the inferior trunk) of the brachial plexus, and through it from the eighth cervical and fir ...

(C8-T1) *

medial brachial cutaneous nerve The medial brachial cutaneous nerve (lesser internal cutaneous nerve; medial cutaneous nerve of arm) is distributed to the skin on the medial brachial side of the arm. Anatomy It is the smallest branch of the brachial plexus, and arising from the ...

(T1) *

medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve The medial cutaneous nerve of the forearm (medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve) branches from the medial cord of the brachial plexus. It contains axons from the ventral rami of the eighth cervical (C8) and first thoracic (T1) nerves. It gives o ...

(C8-T1) *medial head of

median nerve The median nerve is a nerve in humans and other animals in the upper limb. It is one of the five main nerves originating from the brachial plexus. The median nerve originates from the lateral and medial cords of the brachial plexus, and has contr ...

(C8-T1) [other part of median nerve comes from

] *ulnar nerve (C8-T1, occasionally C7)

Additional images

File:PLEXUS BRACHIALIS.jpg, Brachial plexus

References

Nerves of the upper limb {{Neuroanatomy-stub