[Axillary nerve paralysis after playing squash. A case report]

A 27-year-old otherwise healthy male presented with an isolated but complete axillary nerve palsy after excessive squash playing. When repeated electromyographic investigations showed no signs of reinnervation in the deltoid muscle, surgery was performed in order to restore nerve function. Intraoperatively, the nerve showed a short segment of thinning about 2 cm distally the nerve's origin from the posterior fascicle. As intraoperative electrophysiological testing was also negative (no electrically evoked nerve action potentials across the lesion) the suspicious nerve segment was resected and nerve continuity restored by sural grafts. Histologically, no intact nerve structures could be found at the site of the thinning. Most likely the lesion was caused by traction forces. Follow-up studies showed reinnervation of deltoid function over time.