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Spinal Accessory Nerve Injury
Aka: Spinal Accessory Nerve Injury, Accessory Nerve Injury
- See Also
- Peripheral Nerve Injury
- Cranial Nerve 11
- Anatomy
- Spinal Accessory nerve (CN 11) is vulnerable to injury at the posterior triangle of the neck
- Causes
- Trapezius Trauma
- Shoulder Dislocation
- Nerve injury during surgical procedures
- Radical neck dissection
- Cervical node biopsy
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Symptoms
- Generalized Shoulder Pain
- Shoulder weakness
- Signs
- Shoulder sags on affected side
- Shoulder weak on shrugging
- Forward flexion at Shoulder weak overhead
- Trapezius atrophy (with longstanding injury)
- Management
- Physical Therapy
- Avoid provocative activities
- Surgery is rarely indicated
- Consider surgery for Penetrating Trauma with nerve transection
- Consider surgery for lack of improvement at 18 to 24 months
- References
- Neal (2010) Am Fam Physician 81(2): 147-55 [PubMed]
- Safran (2004) Am Sports Med 32(4): 1063-76 [PubMed]
- Silver (2021) Am Fam Physician 103(5): 275-85 [PubMed]