The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the lower neck and upper chest area, which control the chest, shoulders and arms. A plexus is a group of interwoven nerves or blood vessels.

Birth injuries

Injuries to the brachial plexus most often occur during childbirth, when the baby's shoulder becomes stuck, and the nerves are stretched or torn.

These are spinal nerves, part of the central nervous system. They pass from the spinal cord out through small holes in the spinal vertebrae, and connect with the nerves in the rest of the body, known as the peripheral nervous system.

Being spinal nerves, any injury to them can affect other parts of the body, the parts from and to which they carry information.

Four kinds of brachial plexus injury

• Avulsion - where a nerve is torn away from the spine altogether; this is a severe injury with no possible recovery, unless it is detected quickly enough for surgery to repair it
• Rupture - where the nerve is torn, but not from the spine; this is also severe, and can only be repaired by prompt surgery
• Neuroma - where the nerve was torn and tries to heal itself, but forms a scar, added tissue which presses on the nerve and prevents it from sending signals to the muscles; there may or may not be a possible recovery
• Neuropraxia (a stretch) - where the nerve is not torn, but damaged less severely; most children recover fully

When the injury is not too severe, the child can recover in 3 or 4 months without any treatment. For more severe cases, physical therapy can help, and in the most severe cases, surgery is the only option.

Adult injuries

Accidents such as falls or automobile crashes are the chief cause of brachial plexus injuries in adults. Males tend to suffer them more often than females. There is usually some loss of function in the upper body, mostly the arms.

Erb's Palsy page

If you or your baby have suffered a brachial plexus injury, and you wonder if it could have been avoided if someone had been more attentive or thorough, it would be a good idea to consult a personal injury attorney. If you could establish that someone was negligent, you could potentially receive compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact Chicago birth injury lawyer Barry Doyle for your free legal consultation. No recovery, no fee.

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