Brachial Plexus Injuries

Abstract

: Br achial offerc a unique challenge to the athletic t,:ainer because of their r elatively high fr-equency -ate in contact sports and because ofthe complexity ofthe neur-o-anatomy in the cer-vical area. Dur-ing a game, athletic tr ainer-s must make afast, accur-ate decision -ega-ding a playe-'s retu-n to competition. It is impe-ative that the athletic trainer be able to quickly diffe-entiate between minor injuries and more serious injuries war--anting r-emovalfrom the ganme andlor physician r-efer-ral. A systematic ap-p-oach to the evaluation of a b-achial plexus injur-y is essential to ensu-e pr-oper tr-eatment. This paper will present a st-uctur-ed appr-oach to an oni-the-field assessment of brachial plexus injuries.