XI — Accessory nerve

Looks like

A nerve passing from the upper spinal cord up into the skull and out again, crossing the side of the neck.

What it does

Moves the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, turning the head and shrugging the shoulder.

Keeping it well

Lies just under the skin in the neck and is injured by lymph-node surgery; a dropped shoulder after neck surgery points to it.

Related conditions

• Amyloidosis (AL and ATTR)
• Botulism
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Chronic neuropathic pain
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Lyme disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Rabies
• Restless legs syndrome
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Tetanus
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies