Brachial Plexus Palsy - Life

Damage to the network of nerves can cause debilitating injuries that span the entire age demographic, from newborns to the elderly. However, trauma happens much more frequently to infants because of a birth delivery defect called dystocia. Adults experience injuries to nerve system predominantly due to motor vehicle accidents and the participation in contact sports.

Physical Signs

In the majority of cases, an injury to the muscle nerves does not create long lasting symptoms. The nerves quickly regenerate to eliminate any signs of the medical condition. In some cases, injury to the brachial plexus produces obvious signs of palsy. You can experience prolonged weakness in the affected arm that prevents you from performing circular movements at the elbow and/or shoulder joints. The decreased range of motion can be exacerbated by a hyper sensitivity to touch at the point near or at the damaged area. Motor skills diminish significantly, especially when the pain becomes overwhelming to bear.

Life for Infants

Adults have several physical therapy tools available for alleviating the symptoms of palsy. Life for infants that suffer nerve damage is not as easy. Infants require the help of a parent who performs exercises that improve the infant’s range of motion. Parents should perform the repetitive motion exercises daily to strengthen the damaged nerves. Palsy caused by shoulder dystocia typically takes between three and six months to heal.

Physical Therapy for Adults

Adults experience nerve damage for a number of reasons. The cause of the palsy condition is not as important as knowing how to live with the medical condition. Physical therapy represents the most effective method for dealing with a birth injury. You can perform repetitive motion injuries on your own or enlist the professional assistance a licensed physical therapist. In either case, the objective for living with arm and shoulder nerve damage is to rejuvenate the nerves by performing repetitive motion exercises. The exercises entail simply lifting and lowering the affected arm repeatedly, as well as performing exercises that involve anaerobic movements of barbells.

Physical Therapy for Adults

Life can include one or more surgeries to alleviate the painful symptoms caused by the medical condition. Surgery can include the removal of scar tissue to allow the nerves to form. Nerve grafting allows broken nerves to grow by implementing an end-to-end surgical technique. Joint fusion, shoulder reconstruction, and arthroscopic surgery represent the most invasive surgical techniques used to allow patients to live with brachial plexus palsy.

The key to living with nerve damage often comes down to one variable: Your attitude. Like most medical conditions that cause pain and discomfort, you need to confront brachial plexus palsy head on with a positive attitude. The glass is half empty mindset will delay recovery from the medical ailment and in many cases, may make the symptoms of muscle nerve injuries more painful.