Symptoms can affect the following:

• Hand or forearm ("back" of the hand)
• "Thumb side" (radial surface) of the dorsal hand
• Fingers nearest the thumb (2nd and 3rd)

The following symptoms may occur:

• Abnormal sensations
• Difficulty extending the arm at the elbow
• Difficulty extending the wrist
• Numbness, decreased sensation, tingling, or burning sensation
• Pain

The health care provider will take a history of your activities and injuries. An examination of the arm, hand, and wrist may identify radial nerve dysfunction.

The exam may find:

• Decreased ability to extend the arm at the elbow
• Decreased ability to rotate the arm outward (supination)
• Difficulty lifting the wrist or fingers (extensor muscle weakness)
• Muscle loss (atrophy) in the forearm
• Weakness of the wrist and finger
• Wrist or finger drop

In rare cases, it may be difficult to tell radial nerve dysfunction apart from a stroke.

Tests for nerve dysfunction may include:

• EMG
• MRI of the head, neck, and shoulder
• Nerve biopsy
• Nerve conduction tests