Brachial Plexus Injury
Also
known as: “stinger” or “burner”
What
is it?
A
brachial plexus injury is an injury to the nerves
that travel from the neck and down the arm. These
peripheral nerves are called the brachial plexus
nerves. They leave the spinal cord and travel
between the vertebrae and the back and into the
shoulder, giving the arm its ability to function.
Who
gets it?
Anyone
participating in a contact sport such as football,
hockey or basketball can suffer a brachial plexus
injury. The condition can strike at any age, but
young and middle-age adults are most frequently
affected.
What
causes it?
Brachial plexus injuries usually occur during a
contact sport when the head and neck are hit to
one side, stretching the brachial plexus on the
opposite side. Occasionally there is compression
of the nerves on the same side as well. The nerves
become irritated as a result of being stretched or
compressed.
What
are the symptoms?
A
brachial plexus injury usually causes intense pain
from the neck down to the arm on the affected
side. Patients sometimes report the arm has a
“pins and needles” sensation or feels like it is
on fire. Loss of strength in the affected arm or
hand is also a common symptom. Some patients with
a brachial plexus injury will not experience any
symptoms after a period of rest.
How is
it diagnosed?
To
diagnose a brachial plexus injury, a doctor may
ask the patient about his or her symptoms and
examine the head, neck, shoulder, arm and hand. A
patient may have a sensation of burning or
tingling if the doctor pushes down on the
patient’s head or pushes it to the side.
The
doctor may also perform neck x-rays to be sure
there is no damage to the vertebrae, and may do a
CT scan or MRI if the injury appears serous. The
patient may be referred to a specialist for tests
such as an electromyogram or nerve conduction
studies.
What
is the treatment?
To
treat a brachial plexus injury, the doctor may
recommend resting the neck and arms until the pain
and symptoms are gone, as well as applying an ice
pack on the neck and shoulders for up to thirty
minutes ever three to four hours for two to three
days or until the pain goes away. The doctor may
also recommend taking an anti-inflammatory
medication and doing exercises to strengthen the
neck. A chronic stiff neck as a result of a
brachial plexus injury may be treated with heat,
massage, or muscle stimulation.
The
goal of treatment is to enable the patient to
return to sport or activity as soon as possible
while not worsening the injury, which could lead
to permanent damage. Return to activity will be
determined by how quickly the nerves recover. A
patient should be able to have full range of
motion in the neck, including being able to turn
the head fully to look over both shoulders, and
extend the head backward, forward and side to side
as far as possible. If any of these actions causes
burning in the neck or shoulder, the patient
should not return to contact sports. In general,
the longer the patient has symptoms before
treatment is started, the longer it will take to
make a full recovery.
Self-care tips
Keeping
the muscles in the neck strong can prevent a
brachial plexus injury. It is also important to
use good technique in contact sports such as
football and not to strike with the head when
blocking or tackling.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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