Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer

Brachial Plexus Injury

IAn injuries we often see in bicycle and motorcycle accident victims who are thrown from their bikes involve fractures of the clavicle, shoulder, and apparent peripheral nerve damage resulting in partial paralysis of the right limb and shoulder.  The legal team at McAleer Law has represented numerous clients with severe brachial plexus injuries cased by bicycle and motorcycle accidents. If you've suffered a severe injury in an accident, contact an Alabama personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to get assistance with your case.

Many muscles can be weakened or paralyzed because of the damage to the upper part of an accident victims brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is formed by roots coming from the fifth cervical through the first thoracic spinal nerves. The roots come together to form trunks, the trunks branch to form cords, and the cords form the terminal peripheral nerves of the upper limb. Despite the complex sharing of nerve fibers, damage to any part of the plexus has serious consequences.  

Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) may be used to ascertain whether or not the upper roots of the brachial plexus are torn away from the spinal cord or if the damage was more distal (toward the hand).  Electromyography recordings can show the electrical signals of active, innervated muscles, and the NMR image can indicate that the injuries to the brachial plexus are most likely localized to C5 and C6.

Surgical repair if no progress is made.  In some cases the repair of the torn nerve roots can be accomplished with nerve grafts.  Graft material can be obtained from the sural nerve, a cutaneous nerve of the calf.  If only one or neither C5 nor C6 can be repaired in this way, a nearby nerve, such as the spinal accessory nerve (cranial nerve XI) may be "spliced" into one of the upper roots to restore some muscular function.

Traumatic brachial plexus injuries are most often encountered in young adults who have had traction or stretching of the neck and shoulder away from each other.  The injuries are most commonly seen after motorcycle, bicycle, or rodeo accidents in which the injured person has fallen on the side of the head and point of the shoulder. 

The nerves derived from the brachial plexus, which are primarily formed by C5 and C6, are mostly dedicated to the motor supply of the shoulder muscles, elbow flexors, and wrist extensors. The sensory components of the C5 and C6 roots of the brachial plexus innervate the skin on the lateral side of the forearm. Surgeons are especially interested in restoring innervation to the muscles that flex the elbow since, even with a fused shoulder, considerable motion of the limb can thereby be retained. Upper brachial plexus injury also occurs if overly aggressive force is used in applying upward traction to a baby's head and neck during delivery. Damage to the upper brachial plexus often causes a person to hold the limb in the "waiters tip" position, called Erb's paralysis or palsy. 

The legal team at McAleer Law can answer your pressing questions for your case if you've suffered an injury in an accident. Contact a Mobile Personal Injury Attorney at our firm today for legal guidance.