An interesting topic came up recently about nerve vulnerabilities in the area around the collar bone. It’s not an area we immediately consider but upper wraps and 3rd ropes or halter neck arrangements run in this territory. So, is it an issue? The question was prompted by this illustration on Fetlife which makes it appear that the brachial plexus could be at risk. If you aren’t on, the image below is very similar to the one below. In short, the brachial is the bundle of nerves that branch off from the spinal cord down the arm comprising the radial, median and ulnar nerves but I’ll provide a fuller explanation further on.
Of course, the images show a dissection designed to show off the brachial plexus as clearly as possible. To achieve this, the clavicle (collar bone) and the tissue surrounding the nerves has been removed. Consequently, the casual observer might be forgiven for assuming that the brachial plexus is exposed in this region. In fact, most of the nerves are buried deep inside and protected by the clavicle until they emerge in the armpit area and inner upper side of the arm as you can see here. Biodigital Human is a great resource for visualising how everything is laid out internally as it allows you to not only rotate the body in 3D but also to add and subtract components like muscles, blood supply and nerves. We are already well aware of the risk of nerve injury in the armpit/inner upper arm area from overly tight cinches or rope bulk, e.g. knots or twists.
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