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The brachial plexus (Latin plexus brachialis) is a complex structure consisting of many intersecting nerves. The level of its complexity corresponds to the importance of the tasks for which it is responsible – the nerves that make up the brachial plexus provide motor skills and the transport of sensory stimuli of the shoulder girdle and hands. In practice, this means that our sense of touch and hand dexterity depend on the shoulder plexus.
Construction of the brachial plexus
The nerve fibers that make up brachial plexus, originate from the spinal cord at the level of the last four cervical vertebrae (C5-C8 neuromers) and the first thoracic (Th1) vertebrae, with one main nerve for each spinal cord segment. These five fibers cross each other at the height of the epiphysis of the upper limb to form three trunks: upper, middle and lower. Each of them divides into two branches: anterior and posterior. The branches then cross each other to form lateral, posterior and medial bunches.
We divide the nerves coming out of this system into long and short. Short ones are responsible for the motor activity of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, that is, generally speaking, the muscles of the chest and upper back. We divide them into supra- and subclavian nerves. The long nerves, in turn, reach the upper limb and support its motor and sensory functions.
To understand the meaning brachial plexus, just look at any hand movement such as opening a door, reaching for an object on a tall shelf, or operating a cell phone. Each of them, although performed in the blink of an eye, requires perfect coordination of several pairs of muscles, as well as the transmission of a large amount of information responsible for our sense of touch. Therefore, it is important not to damage this intricate system as it is brachial plexus.
Brachial plexus injuries
The brachial plexus it is surrounded on all sides by muscles, so it is rather difficult to damage it mechanically in everyday life. The exceptions are situations where very high forces act on the shoulder joint: strong blows, falls, etc. may damage the nerves that form brachial plexus. Brachial plexus injuries They are very common in motorcycle accidents, but are also at risk of car drivers in serious collisions, as well as people practicing contact and other sports, in which there is a risk of hard-to-amortize falls.
Complications after damage to the brachial plexus they depend on the degree of nerve damage and the type of injury. Nerve fibers have a certain ability to regenerate, so they are able to regenerate after a slight tear or stretching as a result of, for example, a shoulder dislocation. Fractures in the vicinity require special attention brachial plexusbecause it often happens that bone fragments slide inside the tissues and damage the fibers with their edges. To the most serious brachial plexus injuries however, they include those in which the nerve is completely ruptured. In this case, a lot depends on the location of the damage. If there was a so-called avulsions, that is, pulling a nerve out of the spinal cordthe result is a nerve paralysis that modern medicine cannot reverse. However, when the nerve fiber is further broken, the only option is surgical intervention consisting in suturing the two ends of the broken nerve in the hope of spontaneous renewal of the nerve tissue. There is no certainty, however, that this will happen, and the return to even partial fitness depends on long rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
The symptoms of the brachial plexus injuries depend on the degree of damage. The less serious ones are associated with the deterioration of motor functions, such as the grip of the fingers, the sensation of numbness in the limb or reduced sensation. If, however, the forming nerves are paralyzed brachial plexus, the result may even be complete paralysis of a limb or part of it.
Brachial plexus and pain in the shoulder area
If you have neck painradiating to the nape of the neck, tingling and worsening with deepened movements, it may be a sign that the nerves that create brachial plexus. The most common place of such pressure is around the neck, which is sensitive to a condition called upper thoracic outlet syndrome. It occurs as a result of the displacement of tissues in the neck, which begin to compress the subclavian artery and the nerve fibers and their roots in the spinal cord. The reasons for such a situation are various injuries of the shoulder and collarbone area, the lowering of the shoulder appearing after the age of 40, congenital defects, and curvature of the spine caused by posture defects.
The treatment of this ailment is based on the elimination of the causes of the oppression and depends on the individual case. Usually, however, it is based on physical rehabilitation and physical therapy adapted to the patient’s needs. Particularly complicated cases may also require surgical treatment.
We have little control over most causes of nerve compression brachial plexus except one that comes directly from our daily choices. Of course, we are talking about taking care of the correct posture to prevent curvature of the spine causing pressure on the nerves.