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Sternomastoid paradox
Author(s) -
Fitzgerald Turlough
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.1060
Subject(s) - medicine , cranial nerves , motor function , anatomy , weakness , physical medicine and rehabilitation
In the standard routine for testing cranial nerve function following a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) compromising the corticonuclear supply to the cranial nerves, sternomastoid muscle (SCM) function is checked by means of head rotation against resistance. SCM appears to be an exception to the generally contralateral motor weakness resulting from a CVA. The thrust of this article is that appearances can be deceptive: SCM is more likely to be a postural stabilizer than a prime mover in head rotation. Clin. Anat. 14:330–331, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.