Introduction
The brachial plexus is a network of several nerves that emerge from the spinal cord in the neck region and serve to innervate the muscles of the shoulder and arm region. The nerves form a complex interwoven strand that runs between the collarbone and the first rib on both sides of the arm. In the area of this constriction, the nerve plexus can easily be injured for various reasons, resulting in different neurological deficits, depending on which nerves are particularly damaged.
Such injuries can also lead to a complete failure of the brachial plexus, which is then called complete brachial plexus paralysis. The causes of brachial plexus paralysis are manifold. A common cause is accidents, such as motorcycle accidents or falls from great heights.
The impact can cause the nerves between the collarbone and the first rib to become trapped, while at the same time the nerves are stretched considerably when the head is hyperextended. The nerves cannot withstand this abrupt load and tear. Plexus brachialis paralysis can also occur during birth when the midwife pulls on the baby’s head.
In this case, too, the head is overstretched and strong pulling forces are exerted on the brachial plexus. The nerves can then also rupture. Furthermore, paralysis of the brachial plexus can also occur as a complication of surgery.
This often involves so-called positional damage if the patient’s arm is unfavorably positioned during a long operation and pressure is exerted on the nerve plexus. Finally, inflammations of any kind can also impair the nerves in their function. Malignant diseases that develop near the arm, such as breast cancer (breast carcinoma) or bone tumors can spread to surrounding structures in an advanced stage and also grow into the brachial plexus.
This also results in paralysis of the nerve plexus. Furthermore, the nerve plexus of the arm can be briefly numbed if the ganglion stellate plexus is blocked. Those affected can temporarily move their arm/hand with difficulty.
