Which nerve is most at risk with an anterior shoulder dislocation?

• A. Radial nerve
• B. Median nerve
• C. Axillary nerve
• D. Ulnar nerve

Answer: (C)

An anterior shoulder dislocation brings the humeral head into close contact with the structures that surround the shoulder joint, especially the axillary nerve. This nerve travels right around the surgical neck of the humerus and supplies the deltoid and teres minor, with sensation over the lateral shoulder. When the head of the humerus dislocates forward, it can stretch or compress the axillary nerve, leading to weakness of shoulder abduction and numbness over the outer shoulder area. That proximity to the joint makes it the most at-risk nerve in this injury pattern.

The other nerves aren’t as closely related to the shoulder joint during dislocation: the radial nerve runs along the midshaft of the humerus and is more commonly at risk with humeral shaft fractures; the median and ulnar nerves are further distally in the arm and forearm, making them less likely to be affected by a shoulder dislocation.