Recurrent branch of the median nerve


The recurrent branch of the median nerve is the branch of the median nerve which supplies the thenar muscles. It is also occasionally referred to as the thenar branch, or the thenar muscular branch, of the median nerve. In the thenar eminence it provides motor innervation to:
An earlier branch of the median nerve also supplies the lumbricals 1 & 2. All other intrinsic muscles of the hand receive their motor innervation from branches of the ulnar nerve.
It usually passes distal to the transverse carpal ligament.
It ends in the opponens pollicis.
This particular nerve is also called "Million Dollar Nerve" because injury to this nerve during carpal tunnel surgery can lead to a million dollar lawsuit. Injury to this nerve can lead to loss of function of the thumb. Such injury can happen if the transverse carpal tunnel ligament is transected too radially. The possibility of injury to this nerve is even greater when it runs through the ligament without any curling at the distal part of the ligament.