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.