How to manage brachial plexus injury

Last Updated on December 5, 2022 by Dr. Saqib Mueed

Table of Contents

This type of injury is due to the breakage in network of nerves in shoulder region. Due to this nerves damage, the information from brain and spinal cord stopped. At this condition the shoulder, arm and hand stop working.

Damaged the chest part, shoulders regions and arm. Resulted in the tumors formation and shoulder could not make perfect movements and can cause injuries.

The patient felt someone is stinging their bodies and may be someone burning their arms, this is the minor stage of this injury. And major injuries may have occurred, and this was due to some kind of accidents i.e., motorcycle accident.

In these conditions the arm of the patient may be rendered working and fully paralyze the arm and no neural senses in the arm could be produced. The patient never felt any types of sensation and may have never felt something on his arm. 

These are also damaged due to some kind of cancerous cell growth into the tumor cells and these can damage the arms and cause this injury. And may be inflammations that can cause damage to these kinds of networks of nerves.

In children if head may be injured and brachial injury could take place. In the second condition the shoulder was injured that can cause said conditions. [1]nv-3-1-1.pdf (thenerve.net) [2]Brachial plexus injury – Physiopedia (physio-pedia.com)

Signs and symptoms

These were some kinds of signs for this injury identified.

  • The arm of the patent did not show any type of movement.
  • Ankle movement could not be controlled by the person who was affected
  • Wrist had no ability to control the muscle movements
  • Person did not feel any sensation on the hand
  • The arm of the person did not feel any kind of senses
  • Nerve was compressed

Treatments 

Naturally recovered

Brachial plexus can naturally healed when the nerves or cervical spines were damaged but if the root of the spinal cord was damaged the natural recovery was slightly impossible. The physical exercises were required. It takes one to three months to heal. If the dislocation was there it could be easily healed by the physiotherapy. If small damage to nerves present, it could also be treated without surgery.

Surgical treatment

The surgical treatment was done with a few chances to recover from this disorder. In the treatment, the damage cells could be replaced and can change. The chances of survival were less due to the ruptured nerves. The patient needs more time, 18 month required to recover from this disorder. Microsurgical could resume working in 3 months to 6 months. [3]0042004153.pdf (jkns.or.kr)

These are many other management options are also available.

  • These injuries can be treated by mean therapy of physical involvement
  • Some of these were naturally treated without any treatment
  • Some of them could be treated with surgery 
  • Maybe emotional treatment was also done by the parents
  • The tumors that caused this injury, may be removed.
  • Nerves could be replaced
  • Nerves could be grafted
  • Nerves could be transferred
  • Medicines may be used
  • Electrical shocks may be given [4]Brachial Plexus Injury: Recent Diagnosis and Management | Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences (oamjms.eu)

 

Reviewed by:

Dr. Iqra Chaudhary

MBBS, RMP

Medical Officer, Red crescent hospital, Sargodha

Our reviewers’ details, Click Here

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