Upper trunk brachial plexus injuries in contact sports

Abstract

Cervical nerve pinch syndrome, a neura praxia of the brachial plexus, is a common occurrence in contact football. The incidence at two universities was approximately 49%. The more serious injury, brachial plexus ax onotmesis, has received little attention in the literature. We are reporting 13 cases of brachial plexus axonotmesis. Ten were docu mented by electromyography. All involved the upper trunk. All but one patient recovered within a 3- to 42-week interval. These brachial plexus axonotmesis injuries may initially present as a cervical nerve pinch syndrome. All significant or repeated cervical nerve pinch injuries should be reexamined at 2 weeks. Those patient with axonotmesis should not be allowed to return to competi tion until they have achieved normal strength in the involved muscles and the electromy ogram shows no signs of active denervation.