Lower brachial plexus palsy

Lower Brachial Plexus Palsy. Brachial plexus palsies can be divided anatomically into upper plexus involving cervical nerve roots C5C7 lower plexus involving spinal nerve roots C8 and T1 and total plexus palsies. Whereas some clinicians consider the birth palsy type to be of historical interest only others do not believe it exists. Lower brachial plexus lesion Klumpkes palsy A Klumpkes palsy also referred to as Dejerine-Klumpke palsy is a paralysis of the arm that is caused by an injury to the lower roots of the brachial plexus. Whereas some clinicians consider the birth palsy type to be of historical interest only others do not believe it exists.

It is caused by an injury to the first thoracic nerve T1 and the eighth cervical nerve C8 all of which come from the spinal cord. These form part of the brachial plexus comprising the ventral rami of spinal nerves C5C8 and thoracic nerve T1. The most commonly involved root is C8 but T1 can also be affected. Brachial plexus injuries may reduce or eliminate the communication between the spinal cord and the shoulder arm wrist and hand. This may mean both loss of feeling and loss of use of your arm or hand or both. Whereas some clinicians consider the birth palsy type to be of historical interest only others do not believe it exists.

Lower brachial plexus injuries occur when the arm and shoulder are forced upward increasing the angle between the arm and the chest.

The most commonly involved root is C8 but T1 can also be affected. Both these types of lesions usually involve a specific injury mechanism that results in the excessive stretching of either the upper plexus due to an increase of the angle between the shoulder and head or the lower plexus associated with hyper abduction of the arm Figure 3. The infant may not be able to move the shoulder but may be able to move the fingers. It supplies afferent and efferent nerve fibers to the chest shoulder arm forearm and hand. Reproduced with permission from the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Brachial plexus is the network of nerves which runs through the cervical spine neck axilla and then into arm or it is a network of nerves passing through the cervico axillary canal to reach axilla and innervates brachium upper arm antebrachium forearm and handIt is a somatic nerve plexus formed by intercommunications among the ventral rami roots of the lower 4 cervical nerves C5-C8 and the.