Treatment of Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries: Experience in Osaka

Current Concepts in the Management of Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries

The existence of birth palsies of the upper limbs has been noted for a very long time. However, there have existed several misconceptions about the prognosis and eventual functional recovery. All forms of palsy noted at birth are termed “Erb’s palsy.” Most doctors feel that these injuries always recover spontaneously and such babies always “do well” in the long-term. Often, “physiotherapy” is t...

Shoulder contracture and osseous deformity in obstetrical brachial plexus injuries.

BACKGROUND The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of and the association between shoulder contracture and osseous deformity in a cohort of children with an obstetrical brachial plexus injury and to identify the risk factors for these complications. METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, all children with an obstetrical brachial plexus injury who had been born between Ja...

Do obstetrical brachial plexus injuries affect proprioceptive sense?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the proprioceptive sensory input in the shoulder joint affected by obstetrical brachial plexus injuries (OBPI). METHODS This controlled study included 39, 7-12-year-old children with upper and/or middle trunk OBPI, and it took place in the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey between January 2008 ...

Obstetrical brachial plexus injuries: incidence, natural course and shoulder contracture.

The incidence of obstetric brachial plexus injury (OBPI) was investigated and the natural course of this disorder and the frequency of shoulder contracture described. Between 1988 and 1997 13,366 children with a gestational age of 30 weeks or more, were born at the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam. Of these, 62 had an OBPI (4.6 per 1000). Complete neurological recovery occurred in 72.6% of ca...

Prompt Referral in the Nonoperative Treatment of Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries