Video: Brachial plexus mnemonics

The first half of this Rugby World Cup Final has been a disaster for the ladies in green. We got to do this. We've hit some roadblocks. It hasn't been easy for us. But, ultimately, I know these roadblocks, these obstacles, this opposition won't stop us from doing what we're meant to do. We're talking about will. If you want this enough, you're willing to go through any pain, any tackle. You're willing to do whatever it takes, so that when we get back out there, we will not surrender.

Rugby teams are not the only ones who can look a little worse for wear. Anatomy students also sometimes look like they've been through the worst. For instance, have you ever taken a beating trying to memorize the anatomy of the brachial plexus? Here you can see an illustration of the brachial plexus which is formed by roots arising from the anterior rami of spinal nerves C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1. These then form three trunks – a superior trunk, a middle trunk, and an inferior trunk. Trunks then form two divisions – an anterior division and a posterior division. And then three cords – a lateral cord, a medial cord, and a posterior cord. Before finally terminating in five primary branches – the musculocutaneous nerve, the axillary nerve, the median nerve, the radial nerve, and the ulnar nerve.

To memorize the five parts of the brachial plexus and their order, try using the mnemonic Rugby Teams Don’t Cover Bruises. The first letter of each word in our mnemonic stands for the first letter of each of the parts of the brachial plexus. So, Rugby Teams Don’t Cover Bruises stands for Roots, Trunks, Divisions, Cords, and Branches. And that's it! Our brachial plexus mnemonic Rugby Teams Don’t Cover Bruises.

Now there's a few more mnemonics that might be helpful to know with regards to memorizing the branches of the lateral, the medial, and the posterior cords of the brachial plexus. Let's tackle our way through these.

If you want to remember the branches of the lateral cord, remember that rugby players are Long Legged Movers. In this mnemonic, Long stands for lateral pectoral nerve, Legged stands for the lateral root of the median nerve, and Movers stands for musculocutaneous nerve.

The medial cord is next. Try to remember that rugby players Make Many Moves Using Muscles – if you want to remember the medial cord branches. In this mnemonic, Make stands the medial brachial cutaneous nerve, Many stands for medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve, Moves stands for medial pectoral nerve, Using stands for ulnar nerve, and Muscles stands for the medial root of the median nerve.

Alright, let's scrum together to remember that for the posterior cord branches, rugby players are ULTRA competitive. In this mnemonic, U stands for upper subscapular nerve, L stands for lower subscapular nerve, T stands for thoracodorsal nerve, R stands for radial nerve, and A stands for axillary nerve.

Memorize these four mnemonics and you're sure to be a brachial plexus champion.