Neuropathy - axillary nerve
Axillary nerve dysfunction is a loss of movement or sensation of the shoulder because of nerve damage.
Axillary nerve dysfunction is a form of peripheral neuropathy. It occurs when there is damage to the axillary nerve, which supplies the deltoid muscles of the shoulder. A problem with just one nerve group, such as the axillary nerve, is called mononeuropathy.
The usual causes include direct trauma, prolonged pressure on the nerve, and compression of the nerve from nearby body structures. Entrapment involves pressure on the nerve where it passes through a narrow structure.
The damage may include destruction of the myelin sheath of the nerve or destruction of part of the nerve cell (the axon). Damage to the axon slows or prevents conduction of impulses through the nerve.
Direct injury to the shoulder and pressure on the nerve can lead to axillary nerve dysfunction.
Conditions associated with axillary nerve dysfunction include:
In some cases, no cause can be identified.
Pryse-Phillips W, Murray T. Peripheral neuropathies. In: Noble J. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2001:chap 167.