Paralysis of the median nerve, which may cause weakness and numbness in the thumb and fingers.
Medical records and examination findings that document the specific physical signs matter most here. For a complete paralysis rating, records showing the characteristic hand posture — the thumb lying flat in the plane of the hand, wasting of the thenar muscles, inability to make a fist, loss of flexion in the index finger's distal joint, weakened wrist flexion, and notes about pain or trophic changes — directly support the highest ratings.
For incomplete paralysis, the strength of the evidence depends on how closely the documented findings approach that full picture. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography can show the extent of nerve damage. Physical examination findings — grip strength measurements, range-of-motion testing, sensory testing of the thumb and first two fingers, and pinch strength — help establish whether the loss of function is mild, moderate, or severe.
Your own statements and those of people who observe you daily can show how hand weakness or numbness affects tasks at work and at home, such as gripping tools, writing, or buttoning clothing. If your condition is purely sensory with no motor loss, the regulation limits the rating to mild or at most moderate.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
