What Causes Brachial Plexus Injury in Adults?
The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that serves as a center of communication among the arm, hand and shoulder sending sensory signals from the spinal cord to these parts. These nerves are responsible for the movement and sensation in your arm, hand, and shoulder. While some people are born with brachial plexus injury, adults can also injure their brachial plexus.
The causes of Brachial Plexus injury are as follow;
Injuries during Sports
The brachial plexus injury takes place in adults, more common in men than women due to the fact that men are more likely to be involved in sports and activities where they could sustain an injury to their upper arm or shoulder.
Athletes who play contact sports such as football, boxing, and martial arts are at risk of getting brachial plexus injury because they are in close proximity to other players who may use their elbows or shoulders as weapons against them.
Motor Accidents
The brachial plexus injury can be caused by a fall, a motor vehicle accident or sports injury. During such unfortunate events, a severe direct blow to the shoulder can damage the brachial plexus nerve.
Tumor and cancer treatment
Cancerous tumors may also cause pain in the arm due to compression from a tumor or other growths. These tumors cause pinched nerves hindering the movement of arms and hands. In addition to this, the radiation treatment for the removal of these tumors also causes damage to the brachial plexus.
Injuries during Birth
Babies can also sustain brachial plexus injury during their births. It can happen due to their shoulders getting wedged within the birth canal or prolonged labor. Some babies also get their brachial plexus injured due to overweight issues at the time of birth.
Symptoms of Brachial Plexus Injury
Now you know what causes an injury to the brachial plexus region, you might be wondering how to tell if I have sustained such an injury. Here are some symptoms to help you with the diagnosis;
- Stiffness in joints or paralysis of hands and arms.
- Chronic pain in the arm or hand due to pinched nerve
- Feeling numb in arm and hands
- Feeling of electric shock or burning sensation in arm
- Losing partial or complete ability to move hands
See a Doctor for Brachial Plexus Injury
Our team has evaluated the profiles of a number of doctors and rated them based on customer reviews, number of patients they have treated, education, and experience. Our top pick for the treatment of Brachial Plexus Injury in Los Angeles is Dr. Moksha Ranasinghe at Southern California Brain & Spine Surgery. You can easily schedule an appointment with her by visiting their website or calling at (213) 369-4583.