Ten-year follow-up of suprascapular nerve decompression in a competitive volleyball player: a case report

TL;DR

A volleyball player had long-term shoulder weakness and atrophy after nerve surgery, despite returning to sport and following therapy.

Contribution

This is the first reported case of 10-year follow-up after suprascapular nerve decompression without a ganglion cyst.

Findings

The patient returned to sport post-surgery but had persistent infraspinatus atrophy on MRI.

Shoulder weakness and pain continued at 10-year follow-up without new injury or nerve damage on EMG.

No spinoglenoid ganglion cyst was found, making this a unique long-term case.

Abstract

We present a case of 10-year follow-up in a 27-year-old female collegiate volleyball athlete with continued infraspinatus atrophy confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) despite compliance with physical therapy and rehabilitation following open suprascapular nerve (SSN) decompression. She successfully returned to sport post-operatively; however, at 10 year follow-up, had continued weakness and pain, without evidence of nerve injury on EMG. This is the first known report of 10-year follow-up in an athlete who underwent open SSN decompression without evidence of an associated spinoglenoid ganglion cyst with persistent right infraspinatus atrophy on MRI and clinical shoulder weakness without new injury.

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