Brachial Plexus Injury in Infants What is the brachial plexus?
The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that begins in the neck
and provides feeling and movement to the shoulder, arm, forearm,
and hand. Signs of damage in this area include: a limp arm or an
arm with no muscle control in the shoulder, arm, or hand.
Infants may also lack feeling in their hand and arm. Brachial
plexus injuries in infants are not painful. What is a brachial
plexus injury? Brachial plexus injuries are caused when these
nerves are stretched during the birth of a child. Damage to the
nerves occurs in 0.38 to 3.6 per 1000 live births. Eight to
twenty-three percent of these infants have nerve damage on both
sides of the body. Ninety-three percent of these infants get
much of their function back by 3 months of age when treated with
therapy or when they are just watched. This is a good sign that
these infants will do well in the future. These children likely
will not need surgery. How are brachial plexus injuries treated?
A small number