I don’t know many people who don’t like ice cream, but I do know quite a few who aren’t so fond of anatomy. Upper and lower extremity anatomy can be especially hard to remember, with lots of muscles grouped into lots of compartments.
Here are a couple of mnemonics to help you remember the muscles of the posterior forearm (PS: all of these muscles are innervated by the radial nerve, or one of its branches):
Superficial layer:
- “Big Chocolate Chips, Double Dip Cherries”
- *** For words that start with the same letter, the longer word = the longer muscle!
Brachioradialis
- !!- This muscle is unique in that it is in the posterior compartment and is therefore innervated by the radial nerve, but unlike the other posterior forearm muscles, it flexes the arm, instead of extending!
extensor Carpi radialis longus (ECRL)
extensor Carpi radialis brevis (ECRB)
extensor Digitorum (ED)
extensor Digiti minimi (EDM)
extensor Carpi ulnaris (ECU)
- (sometimes this layer is split into superficial and intermediate layers, with ED and EDM making up the intermediate layer, but in my experience on tests and on the wards, just remembering the superficial and deep layers is perfectly fine!).
Deep layer:
- “Syrup And Peanuts Preferably Included”
Supinator
Abductor pollicis longus (APL)
extensor Pollicis brevis (EPB)
extensor Pollicis longus (EPL)
extensor Indicis
I hope these mnemonics help! If you have your own way to remember the posterior forearm muscles (or any other muscles), post it below!
Bibliography
Mnemonics: modified from http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/cgi-bin/return_browse.cfm?rowstart=31&numrows=10&discipline_id=1&system_id=8&bodypart_id=All