What is brachial plexus neuropathy?

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Brachial plexus neuropathy or brachial plexopathy is the medical condition caused when a patient experiences the symptoms of radiating nerve pain, numbness, tingling, decreased movement or all of the above in the areas related to the nerve bundle which serves the shoulder and arm. The patient can also experience muscle weakness or a burning sensation in the associated area. The condition can be caused by several things such as a localized trauma to the area of some type, such as traction injuries or penetration injuries, overly stretched muscles and tendons, a tumor pressing on the nerves, compression by lymph nodes, inflammation of the area, damage from radiation therapy, defects from birth and drug chemical or toxin exposure. It is basically some condition that is affecting normal nerve function in that area. Incidences of this condition are very rare, showing up 1.6 times in 100,000 cases.

The brachial plexus is the part of the central nervous system that is located in the triangular area formed by the location points between the neck and the axilla the armpit or underarm area and inside the area between the clavicle and pectoral muscles. It originates in the nerve roots coming from the C5 through C8 and T1 vertebrae. The best way to describe it is to think of it structurally in the forms of trunks, divisions and cords. The nerve structure coming off the spine at C5 and C6 form the top trunk, nerves from the C7 area by itself form the middle trunk and nerves from the C8 and T1 vertebrae comprise the bottom trunk. The three posterior groups form the posterior cord, the medial cord is comprised of the top two anterior divisions and the lateral cord is formed from the bottom anterior nerve division. The nerves that enter into the upper arm then occur with the posterior cord forming the radial and axillary nerves, the lateral cord forming the musculocutaneous nerve while the medial cord then forms the ulnar nerve which is the nerve running near the ulna bone.

It is usually diagnosed through a neuromuscular examination of the arm, hand and wrist. The examinations that may been done are: a nerve conduction test that tests natural electrical conduction of the nerves; an electromyography test where a thin needle is inserted into the muscle area to check for electrical nerve activity and a nerve biopsy or local MRI. The condition is more commonly seen in young men than in any other group.

Sometimes through rest or isolation of the area the symptoms will disappear on their own. When there is no history of injury in the area, isolating the area through braces or splints to let it rest along with a course of physical therapy may be ordered for the affected area. Anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to treat the condition, especially when it is noted that the area is inflamed from brachial amyotrophy, a rare condition where the body’s immune system sees the nerves as a threat to the system and begins to degenerate them or from neuritis (nerve pain). Complications can occur when there is physical deformity of the hand or arm leading to unnatural or uncontrollable contraction of the muscles located there, paralysis whether partial or complete, the loss of the sensation of feeling in the arm hands or fingers and ensuing unnoticed injuries due to not being able to feel that an injury has occurred.

The average period of recovery time for this condition can vary from several days to several months depending on the severity and what is causing the symptoms. If the conditions worsen or last for an extended period of time, if the patient has noticeable problems with range of motion or possesses indications that nerve fiber is being lost, these symptoms may indicate the need for surgery.

Resource by Will

I am the editor for TheFreeResource.com, and owner of LinchpinSEO, a small business content creation company. The Free Resource has a select community of talented writers, teachers, and business people (and we are always looking for more) that bring you the most trusted resources on the web and credible articles about many topics.

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