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Palsy,surgery,no Proper Elbow,wrist And Finger Movement.
My son who is 11 year old is still not recovered from erb s palsy. He has undergone different surgeries at different age. But still the elbow movement is not complete, the wrist hardly move when he gives full force and his fingers are not moving. Is there any treatment after this age and will he be cured?
Wed, 9 May 2012
Hello Mr. Fernando,
Welcome to Healthcaremagic.com.
Brachial plexus injury is a loss of movement or weakness of the arm that occurs when the collection of nerves around the shoulder are damaged during birth. This bundle of nerves is called the brachial plexus.
Gentle massage of the arm and range-of-motion exercises are recommended for mild cases. More severe cases, or those that do not improve in the first few weeks of life may need to be evaluated by several specialists. If some strength has not returned to the affected muscles by the time the baby is 3 - 6 months old, surgery may be considered.
Most babies will fully recover within 3 to 6 months, but those who do not recover have a poor outlook. In these cases there may be a separation of the nerve root from the spinal cord (avulsion).
It is not clear whether surgery to repair the nerves or fix the nerve problem can help. Nerve grafts and nerve transfers are sometimes tried.
Based on your son's age and the surgeries he has already endured, it is not probable that he will regain any movement. He may not ever be cured of this injury.
Be well,
Dr. Kimberly
Welcome to Healthcaremagic.com.
Brachial plexus injury is a loss of movement or weakness of the arm that occurs when the collection of nerves around the shoulder are damaged during birth. This bundle of nerves is called the brachial plexus.
Gentle massage of the arm and range-of-motion exercises are recommended for mild cases. More severe cases, or those that do not improve in the first few weeks of life may need to be evaluated by several specialists. If some strength has not returned to the affected muscles by the time the baby is 3 - 6 months old, surgery may be considered.
Most babies will fully recover within 3 to 6 months, but those who do not recover have a poor outlook. In these cases there may be a separation of the nerve root from the spinal cord (avulsion).
It is not clear whether surgery to repair the nerves or fix the nerve problem can help. Nerve grafts and nerve transfers are sometimes tried.
Based on your son's age and the surgeries he has already endured, it is not probable that he will regain any movement. He may not ever be cured of this injury.
Be well,
Dr. Kimberly
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