Action:  Shoulder elevation
 
Nerves:  CN XI (spinal accessory) and dorsal scapular
 
Skeletal muscles:  Trapezius, levator scapulae, and rhomboids
 
Cutaneous distribution:  None
 
Neuromuscular deficit:  Weakness/paralysis when elevating the shoulder under resistance on the impaired side of the patient. Denervation is accompanied by shoulder droop from muscle atrophy. There are no cutaneous nerve deficits.
 
Differential diagnosis:  Unlike the levator scapulae, deficits of both the trapezius and rhomboids provoke weakness/paralysis of scapular adduction (retraction) and internal rotation.
 
 
Shoulder Elevation
Created by the Neurobiology and Anatomy Department: F. Reilly, Ph.D., B. Palmer, P. Klinkhachorn, Ph.D., H. Ressetar, Ph.D.