Spinal Accessory Motor Nerve - recording the Trapezius

FrontalCortex, Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to neurology education.

Back to "Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) Tutorial"

Spinal Accessory Motor Nerve - recording the Trapezius

Last updated on Tuesday, October 6 2009 by blondarb

Origin: C2-C4 roots, cervical plexus, spinal accessory nerve.

Recording Site: Trapezius

Reference Site: Shoulder

Ground: Upper back

Stimulation Site: Posterior neck

Procedure: The recording electrode is placed on the belly of the trapezius muscle. The reference electrode is placed on the top of the shoulder. The nerve is stimulated at the neck, just lateral to the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Related images:

Spinal Accessory Motor Nerve - recording the Trapezius
This cartoon shows the technique for studying the Spinal Accessory Motor Nerve - recording the Trapezius.

Spinal Accessory Motor Nerve - recording the Trapezius
This photograph demonstrates the technique for the spinal accessory motor nerve conduction study, recording from the trapezius.