How The Injury Occurs
If there is a traumatic injury such as the pulling of muscles near the spinal cord or in the arms, the brachial plexus can be stretched, resulting in nerves being dislodged from the spinal cord and vertebrae. Spinal nerve bundles are attached to the nerves of the brachial plexus at cervical junctions five through eight on the spinal cord as well as the first thoracic spinal nerves. If they are pulled away from these connecting areas there is a significant loss of muscle control in the shoulders and arms. Sometimes the nerve roots are detached, and in other cases the brachial plexus network is simply stretched and nerve information to the muscles is disrupted.
Injury During Birth
Obstetric brachial plexus injuries are sometimes associated with a difficult birth where unusual amounts of pressure are put on the shoulders or upper chest of the infant during delivery. Nerve roots are covered with a meningeal coating that is extremely thin, especially in newborns, and are easily pulled from the spinal area if excessive force is used during delivery. This type of injury is not often noticed immediately and can only be diagnosed if there is persistent loss of motor control in the affected area.
Severity Of The Injury
Brachial plexus injury can be classified as one of three types depending on the severity. Neurapraxia involves loss of full nerve conductivity without total disruption of information. Axonotmesis is a condition where there is loss of continuity regarding the axon itself, while neurotmesis is the complete separation of the nerve due to a severe laceration. In the latter case, surgery may be required to fully repair the nerve network. Success rates in these surgical procedures varies depending on the number of nerves that are completely separated from the spinal area. In the milder forms of brachial plexus injuries, lesions will form with the building of scar tissue around the affected area and treatment will be in the form of physical therapy as the nerves and surrounding tissue heal themselves.
Because the brachial plexus can be injured from many different types of accidents, the specifics regarding treatment and the possibility of permanent damage cannot be thoroughly discussed here. Medical experts and legal advisors are of greater assistance where this type of condition is concerned.
Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.
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