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Spinal Accessory and Suprascapular Nerve Injury After Human Bite
Marine Dididze1, Sopiko Jimsheleishvili, William B Ward
1From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
Summary
A unique case reveals human bite injuries can cause combined spinal accessory and suprascapular nerve damage. This highlights the need to consider neck trauma in shoulder weakness diagnoses.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Traumatology
- Anatomy
Background:
- Spinal accessory nerve (SAN) and suprascapular nerve (SSN) injuries are typically associated with specific etiologies.
- Trauma to the posterior triangle of the neck can affect neurovascular structures.
Observation:
- A unique clinical case involving a human bite to the posterior neck triangle is presented.
- The patient presented with shoulder weakness and pain.
Findings:
- Electrophysiologic studies confirmed combined injury to the spinal accessory nerve and suprascapular nerve.
- The injury was directly attributed to a human bite, a rare cause for this nerve combination.
Implications:
- This case underscores the importance of considering local trauma, including human bites, in the differential diagnosis of combined SAN and SSN injuries.
- Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for unusual etiologies when evaluating shoulder weakness with neurophysiologic evidence of nerve damage.
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