(WYTV) – Severe damage to the brachial plexus – the group of nerves that control the movements of your hands, arms and wrists — can leave your entire hand and arm paralyzed.
A few ways this damage can occur is through accidents, sports injuries and cancer.
As nerves leave the spinal cord and enter the arm, they form the brachial plexus, and it’s very important.
“This collection of nerves powers the entire arm and hand, so it provides all of the motor function to the arm and hand, and all the capabilities of the arm and hand are powered by the brachial plexus,” said Dr. Shelley Noland, a plastic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic.
You need to control the damage to these nerves soon to avoid problems. If too much time passes, your options are limited.
The most common surgical options are nerve reconstruction, nerve repair, nerve grafting and nerve transfers. Mostly though, it’s through a nerve transfer and rewiring injured nerves with good ones.
Doctors look at it this way: training one nerve to perform the function of another nerve.
Motorcycle accidents account for nearly 70% of injuries to the brachial plexus that may need surgery.
