Injuries in the arm or shoulder due to sudden stretching of limb? It can be the case of Brachial Plexus Injury where the nerves and spine of the affected area gets torn as a result of forceful push up or press down. This injury mostly occurs at areas of hands and arm, thus hampering the nerve and spine network.

Brachial plexus injury is most often observed among athlete people who are associated with sports and games. Apart from sports person, brachial plexus trouble can also result from accidents of auto or motorbikes or some sudden falls. It is also observed that some babies are faced with this injury problem from birth. Other factors and conditions that are largely associated with this disorder include inflammation, tumor to name a few. In case of serious injury of Brachial Plexus, patients need to consult experienced doctor for surgical helping.

Symptoms of Brachial Plexus Injury

The symptoms of Brachial Plexus Injury can vary largely, in accordance to the seriousness and location of the injury. Minor brachial plexus injury mostly occurs at time of sports training and stretching, which are commonly termed as stingers and burners. This pain does not stay for more than three to four days and gets cured easily. However, in case of severe injury, the neural network can get affected, thus resulting in torn spinal cord. Some of the symptoms that are commonly observed in relation to brachial plexus injury include the following:

• Feeling of sudden shock
• Burning Sensation
• Numbness
• Weakness
• Lack of movement of arm or hand
• Extreme pain

Causes of Brachial Plexus Injury

Injury in the arm or shoulder can become severe brachial plexus pain if the upper nerves are damaged due to sudden force down to stretch ups. Some of the prominent causes that result in this injury include the following:

Sports Person

Athlete and sports person are most often affected with problems of stingers and burners that result in stretching of the nerve due to sudden collision with other athletes and players.

Trouble at Birth TimeE

Some newborns are also affected with the injury of brachial plexus as a result of complications at birth time. Prolonged labor or breech presentation tends to make the child’s shoulder get stuck in the birth canal, thus damaging the network of nerves.

Accidents and Trauma

Sudden trauma or accident in auto or motorbike also results in this injury of shoulder or arms. Some animal bites and wounds can also become severe enough to damage the brachial plexus.

Treatment and Cure

To get cured from the serious injuries of brachial plexus, surgery is the most popular treatment option to avail. Some of the types of surgeries that are widely used include the following:

Nerve Repair

If the distance between two injured nerve is not long and repair seems feasible than it’s the best option. Chances of recovery are high.

Grafting of Nerve

To cure the damaged nerve, surgeons remove and replace the section of brachial plexus of the affected body part to graft it afresh with electrical wiring.

Transfer of Nerve

In case the nerve root has got torn from the spinal cord, surgeons opt for nerve transfer surgery to get the spinal cord hooked to a new nerve. In this technique, the new nerve transfer is made towards the targeted muscle for speedy recovery and repair. In this treatment process, the joints need to be kept flexible so that the splints do not get cured inside.

Before & After

Procedure Video