Isolated nerve injuries about the shoulder

Infraclavicular nerve injuries are rare and potentially disabling problems. A retrospective study of 24 patients with 28 nerve injuries is presented, including 18 axillary, 7 suprascapular, and 3 musculocutaneous nerve injuries. Vague shoulder pain and weakness of the involved muscle groups were the main symptoms of nerve injury in these patients. All patients had atrophy of the specific muscles involved. Diagnosis of these nerve lesions can often be difficult because of this vague presentation. Followup from date of injury averaged 60 months and included evaluation by questionnaire, repeat physical examinations, and serial electromyograms. There were 21 complete or satisfactory nerve recoveries, while 7 patients had unsatisfactory results. The etiology of the injury appeared to be an important factor with respect to outcome. Eight of 10 nerve injuries secondary to blunt trauma went on to complete recovery, and 4 of 6 nerve injuries secondary to shoulder dislocation recovered completely. None of the 7 nerves injured during surgery recovered completely. No patient with spontaneous onset of nerve dysfunction had an unsatisfactory result. Poor results were noted in patients with initial total denervation as shown by electromyogram and in patients with intraoperative nerve damage.