3 – The muscle innervation of the shoulder
The shoulder muscles are innervated by
1) the axillary nerve (C5-C6; deltoid and teres minor)
2) the suprascapular nerve (C5-C6; supraspinatus and infraspinatus)
3) the subscapular nerve (C5-C6; subscapularis and teres major)
4) the medial and lateral pectoral nerves (C5-T1; major and minor pectorals)
5) the musculocutaneous nerve (C5-C7; coracobrachialis and long and short heads of biceps brachii)
6) the thoracodorsal nerve (C6-C8; latissimus dorsi)
7) the radial nerve (C5-T1; long and lateral heads of the triceps brachii)
The muscles innervated by the axillary and suprascapular nerves are the most clinically important for shoulder surgery
1)-3) and the major part of 4)-7) are anaesthetised by an interscalene brachial plexus block
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