Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment: Technique for Arthroscopic Release
Techniques in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery 7(2):000–000, 2006 Ó 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadephia | REVIEW | Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment: Technique for Arthroscopic Release Peter J. Millett, MD, MSc Steadman Hawkins Clinic, Vail, CO Harvard Medical School Boston, MA R. Shane Barton, MD, Iva´n H. Pacheco, MD, and Reuben Gobezie, MD Harvard Shoulder Service Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women’s Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | ABSTRACT with suprascapular nerve palsy may present with an often vague range of symptoms or even be asympto- Suprascapular neuropathy can be caused by a variety of matic.3 Pain over the posterolateral shoulder or easy anatomic and pathologic entities as the nerve courses fatigability with overhead activities may be reported, or from the brachial plexus through the suprascapular and painless weakness of external rotation with or without spinoglenoid notches to innervate the supraspinatus and spinatus muscle atrophy may be noted. Compression of infraspinatus muscles. We describe techniques for arthro- the nerve at both the suprascapular and spinoglenoid scopically accessing the nerve at both the suprascapular notches are commonly reported mechanisms of injury and spinoglenoid notches and decompressing structural and will be discussed in detail. lesions that may be contributing to the neuropathy. The physical examination plays a critical role in Keywords: suprascapular neuropathy, suprascapular discerning the site of suprascapular nerve injury. notches, spinoglenoid notches, cyst decompression, arthro- Clinical observation of the patient’s shoulder girdle is scopic release important. More proximal injury, as seen with supra- | HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE scapular notch compression, may result in atrophy of both the supraspinatus and infraspinatus, whereas more Isolated injury to the suprascapular nerve has long been distal compression at the spinoglenoid notch will result recognized as an etiologic entity producing shoulder pain in isolated infraspinatus weakness and atrophy (Fig.
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