Investigating the ulnar nerve and common sites of potential compression
Charlotte Carlsen, Tim Karajas, Niamh Moloney, Penny Moss, Meredith Perry
Introduction
Misdiagnosis following iatrogenic or traumatic injury to the spinal accessory nerve (SAN) is common and often seen clinically as shoulder pathology (Braatz and Gogia 1991; Dailiana et al. 2001; Laksa and Hannig 2001; Wiater and Bigliani 1999). The superficial pathway of the nerve across the postero-lateral aspect of the neck renders it vulnerable to injury - even a moment of passion has been reported to cause trapezius muscle palsy!These injuries may present to physiotherapy as secondary pathology such as impingement or ‘frozen shoulder’ so that accurate differential diagnosis is vital to ensure appropriate management of the problem. It is therefore important to understand the course of this little-known nerve, particularly as it passes across the postero-lateral aspect of the neck to its terminal branches in trapezius.
