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Suprascapular nerve

Mixed nerve of the upper limb

Field	Value
Name	Suprascapular nerve
Latin	nervus suprascapularis
Image	Gray818.png
Caption	The suprascapular, axillary, and radial nerves. (Suprascapular labeled at upper left.)
Image2	Gray808.png
Caption2	The right brachial plexus with its short branches, viewed from in front. (Suprascapular labeled at upper left.)
Innervates	Supraspinatus, infraspinatus
BranchFrom	Upper trunk (C5–C6) of brachial plexus

The suprascapular nerve is a mixed (sensory and motor) nerve that branches from the upper trunk of the brachial plexus. It is derived from the ventral rami of cervical nerves C5-C6. It provides motor innervation to the supraspinatus muscle, and the infraspinatus muscle.

Structure

Origin

The suprascapular nerve arises from the upper trunk of the brachial plexus which is formed by the union of the ventral rami of the cervical nerves C5-C6.

Course and relations

After branching from the upper trunk, the nerve passes across the posterior triangle of the neck parallel to the inferior belly of the omohyoid muscle and deep to the trapezius muscle. It then runs along the superior border of the scapula through the suprascapular canal, in which it enters via the suprascapular notch inferior to the superior transverse scapular ligament and enters the supraspinous fossa. It then passes beneath the supraspinatus and curves around the lateral border of the spine of the scapula through spinogleniod notch to the infraspinous fossa.

Function

The suprascapular nerve is a mixed peripheral nerve containing motor and sensory components.

Motor innervation

Supraspinatus muscle
Infraspinatus muscle (through the spinoglenoid notch)

Sensory innervation

Acromioclavicular joint
Glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) In the supraspinous fossa it gives off two branches to the supraspinatus muscle and in the infraspinous fossa it gives off two branches to the infraspinatus muscle.

Clinical significance

Suprascapular paralysis, causing back pain, problems with abduction and external rotation of the humerus, and wasting away of supraspinatus and infraspinatus. Supraspinatus muscle helps in 0°-15° arm abduction. And Infraspinatus helps in lateral rotation (external rotation) of humerus.
Suprascapular nerve entrapment syndrome, causing shoulder pain and localized muscular atrophy of the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles. This can potentially develop due to suprascapular nerve being entrapped and compressed within the suprascapular canal potential anatomical entrapment sites.

Additional images

File:Gray810.png|Suprascapular and axillary nerves of right side, seen from behind. File:Brachial_plexus_color.svg|Brachial plexus with courses of spinal nerves shown

References

(2020). ""Suprascapular canal": Anatomical and topographical description and its clinical implication in entrapment syndrome". Annals of Anatomy.
(November 2002). "Anterior coracoscapular ligament and suprascapular nerve entrapment.". Clinical Anatomy.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

nerves-of-the-upper-limb thoracic-nerves

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