|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

The Signs & Symptoms of a Brachial Plexus Injury

The brachial plexus is a system of nerves that sends signals from the spine to your shoulders, arms and hands. Sometimes these nerves are injured and can cause problems. The brachial plexus sustain injuries when the shoulders are pushed one way and the head another. Treatment and symptoms depend on the severity of the injury.

  1. Degrees of Injury

    • The severity of injury to the nerves in the brachial plexus have been divided into five different categories, in order of severity. The first degree is called neurapraxia, where the sheath around the nerve is damaged but the nerve itself is not. Then with each degree, the damage to the nerve is more and more extensive. When the damage reaches the fifth degree, it means the nerve is divided or severed from the spinal cord.

    Major Symptoms

    • The symptoms of a brachial plexus injury depends on where the site of the injury occurs. Most times, the nerve is just stretched, but in serious cases, it can be torn. This is called avulsion, when your nerve is torn from the spinal column. Symptoms of a torn nerve include intense pain, inability to use fingers or arms, and lack of feeling in the arm. Sometimes a person can use the arm but not the fingers or vice versa.

    Minor Symptoms

    • In some sports, like football or rugby, the brachial plexus can sustain minor injuries where the nerves are stretched. Sometimes called "burners" or "stingers," the symptoms of a minor injury include electric shock sensation in the arm, a feeling of burning down the arm, numbness or weakness. Unlike a major injury, when a stretching of the nerves occurs, the symptoms only last a few seconds or minutes.

    Diagnosis

    • There are several tests that can be conducted to check for the severity of brachial plexus injury. Electromyography is used to check how well a muscle reacts when stimulation is sent to the nerves. Nerve-conduction studies check the movement of impulses through nerves. MRIs are used to check for structural damage. Finally, computerized tomography myelography can produce a vivid picture of the spinal cord. These myelographies produce better pictures than an MRI.

    Complications

    • Usually brachial plexus injuries heal on their own; however, more severe injuries can cause permanent issues. Pain can become a chronic problem. Other issues include joints that stiffen and limit range of movement, degeneration as some muscles atrophy, chronic tingling or numbness in arms and hands, or paralysis. Sometimes surgery can help correct damage sustained to the nerve, but in some cases the damage is permanent.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles