Brachial plexus injury


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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

Although damage to your brachial plexus often can't be prevented, you can take steps to reduce the risk of complications once an injury has occurred:

  • For yourself. If you temporarily lose the use of your hand or arm, daily range-of-motion exercises and physical therapy can help prevent joint stiffness.
  • For your child. If you're the parent of a child with Erb's palsy, it's vitally important that you exercise your child's joints and functioning muscles every day, beginning when your baby is about 3 weeks old. This helps prevent the joints from becoming permanently stiff and keeps your child's working muscles strong and healthy.
Treatments and drugs
References
  1. Brachial plexus injury (Erb's palsy). American Society for Surgery of the Hand. http://www.assh.org/Public/HandConditions/Pages/BrachialPlexus.aspx. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  2. Burners and stingers. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=226&topcategory=Shoulder. Accessed Nov 22, 2010.
  3. NINDS brachial plexus information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brachial_plexus/brachial_plexus.htm. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  4. Erb's palsy (brachial plexus birth injury). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=314&topcategory=Shoulder. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  5. Brombert MB. Brachial plexus syndromes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 22, 2010.
  6. Sulaiman OAR, et al. Nerve transfer surgery for adult brachial plexus injury: A 10-year experience at Louisiana State University. Neurosurgery. 2009;65:A55.
  7. Naoyuki O, et al. Nerve grafting in brachial plexus injuries. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 1996;78:754.
  8. Nerve injuries. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00016. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
  9. Guiffre JL, et al. Current concepts of the treatment of adult brachial plexus injuries. Journal of Hand Surgery American. 2010;35:1226.
DS00897 Feb. 24, 2011

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