The suprascapular nerve is the primary motor nerve of the rotator cuff, supplying supraspinatus and infraspinatus. Its entrapment at the suprascapular notch (under the transverse scapular ligament) involves both muscles; at the spinoglenoid notch it involves only the infraspinatus. Spinoglenoid notch ganglion cysts from posterior labral tears compress the nerve, producing isolated infraspinatus atrophy visible on MRI.
| Origin | Upper trunk of the brachial plexus (C5, C6) |
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Suprascapular neuropathy at the spinoglenoid notch from paralabral ganglion cysts is the most common atraumatic cause. The cyst is decompressed arthroscopically — both the cyst aspiration and the posterior labral tear repair reduce cyst recurrence. Isolated infraspinatus wasting without pain is pathognomonic of spinoglenoid notch entrapment. High-level volleyball players develop spinoglenoid notch cysts from repetitive posterior labral loading.
Paralabral cyst compressing the suprascapular nerve producing isolated infraspinatus atrophy managed with arthroscopic cyst decompression and labral repair.
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