Our team provides a complete range of diagnostic and treatment options for children with brachial plexus injuries. In newborns, mild brachial plexus injuries usually heal on their own. That means babies often regain movement and feeling without treatment. Others might need daily physical therapy. Our physical therapists will show you exercises to do at home to help your baby get better. Massage techniques can help too.
For more severe injuries, our Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Center includes a team of specialists from:
If children keep having pain, weakness or numbness continue, surgery can often help. Our surgical treatments include:
- Nerve grafts: We use a nerve from another area of the body, like a rib or the back of the foot, to patch an injured brachial nerve. A nerve framework from an organ donor or a manufactured nerve growth guide also can help the nerves grow.
- Nerve transfer: A healthy nerve (or some of its fibers) in the area of the injury can restore injured nerve connections.
- Muscle transfer: We take muscle, usually from the child’s thigh, to replace the affected muscle in the arm.
- Tendon transfer: We move tendons from working muscles near the shoulder to increase arm movement and control.
At Nemours, our surgeons are skilled in advanced techniques to restore children’s nerve function.