What are causes of wasting of small hand muscles?
The approach is to start with the spinal cord and move towards the muscles.
Spinal cord
Syringomyelia
Cervical spondylitis with compression of c8 root segment
Tumour
Trauma
Anterior horn
Motor neuron disease
Polio
Spinal muscular atrophy
Root lesion
C8 compression
Lower trunk brachial plexus
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Trauma, radiation, infiltration, inflammation
Peripheral nerve
Median and ulnar nerve lesion
Peripheral motor neuropathy
Myopathy
Distal myopathy
Dystrophia myotonica
Trophic disorder
Arthripathies
Ischaemia including vasculitis
Shoulder hand syndrome
That's a long list!
You're right. The most important thing is to remember the categories and some of the more common things listed.
Yup I love the way you listed it out.