Plexiplex brachial plexopathy: symptoms and treatment

The shoulder is an anatomical unit, characterized by large dimensions and complexity of the structure. It is located on the lower and upper sides of the clavicle. The shoulder originates in the spine and extends to the lower boundary of the armpit. This structure is constantly exposed to various pathological processes. Among them, plexopathy deserves special attention. What is this disease, what developmental background and species does it have? The answers to these questions are presented in today's article.

Description of the pathology

Plexopathy of the brachial plexus is an inflammatory disease in which the nervous structures are damaged. This pathology is quite serious, since it can lead to disability of a person. This concept includes not only the loss of the opportunity to work. Patients with plexopathy gradually lose the ability to perform elementary movements with their hands. Often they can not even serve themselves, so they need constant care.

It is especially difficult for the patient to adapt to new conditions, when the pathological process extends to the hand where he performs the basic movements. Restoration requires a lot of effort and time. Pain discomfort increases every time you try to lift a limb or take it to the side. The intensity of this symptom increases at night.

In the International Classification of Diseases, you can find a detailed description of what is the brachial plexus of the brachial plexus. ICD 10th review considers similar pathologies under the code G55.0.

The main causes of inflammation

The brachial plexus consists of the anterior branches of the lower nerves of the neck and the thoracic spinal nerve. From the anatomical point of view, it is in a very vulnerable place. In the immediate vicinity of the shoulder area passes a lot of blood vessels, and just below it is the upper part of the lung.

These and many other factors cause the causes of the disease:

1. Injuries and mechanical injuries. This can be the result of a car accident or a stab wound. In young children, the brachial plexus plexopathy is most often the result of birth trauma.
2. «Backpack paralysis». The appearance of the symptoms of the disease is due to the prolonged wearing of the bag on one shoulder.
3. Syndrome of the staircase. This is a pathological condition characterized by damage to the vessels and nerves of the costal-clavicular interval.
4. Benign and malignant neoplasms. A classic example is cancer of the tip of the right lung. Sprouting into the brachial plexus and dome of the diaphragm, the tumor manifests itself with weakness of the hand and numbness in it.
5. Various immune disorders (Persononeja-Turner syndrome).

Not always with plexopathy, you can identify any one predisposing factor. In some patients, the disease develops for no apparent reason. In this case, they speak of the idiopathic form of the disease.

The first symptoms

The clinical picture of the pathological process is characterized by a change in two stages. The neuralgic phase is accompanied by pain in the arm of varying degrees of intensity. After it comes paralytic. This phase is characterized by the development of weakness in the hand until complete immobility.

Pain syndrome with plexopathy is undulating. At first the patient does not feel discomfort at all. Within a few days he can wake up from unbearable pain. Unpleasant sensations usually increase with the movement of the arm and head, after a change in the position of the body.

What else has plexopathy of the brachial plexus symptoms? The clinical picture largely depends on the root cause of the disorder. For example, with the syndrome of the staircase, the disease is accompanied by a feeling of numbness in the nape of the neck and the back of the neck. With the passage of time, the intensity of symptoms increases.

With various immune disorders, the manifestations of the disease are slightly different. Against the background of the syndrome Persononeja-Turner plexopathy paroxysmal. First, there is a strong pain in the hand, which increases during movement. Then the discomfort subsides, but at the same time there is muscle weakness in the shoulder girdle. The patient can freely move his arm in the wrist and elbow joints, but its lifting becomes impossible. Such seizures are repeated at different intervals.

Classification of the disease

Plexopathy of the brachial plexus can take several forms:

1. Paralysis of the deltoid muscle (Erb's syndrome), in which the hand can not be taken to the side.
2. Paralysis of the biceps brachii of the shoulder, accompanied by loss of mobility of the forearm in the elbow joint.
3. Paralysis of the supraspinatus and subacute muscles makes it impossible for the shoulder to rotate. It's about moving when a person is asked to straighten his back and straighten his shoulders.

In especially serious cases, if the pathological process spreads to all the nerves of the brachial plexus, complete paralysis of the arm develops. At the same time, the diseased limb loses its sensitivity.

Methods of diagnosis

If the first symptoms of plexopathy occur, you need to seek help from a doctor. The treatment of this pathology is performed by neurologists. If a brachial plexus pleksopathy is suspected, the diagnosis begins with a patient's interview and a study of his anamnesis. Then they turn to instrumental methods of research.

The most informative is characterized by electroneuromyography. With this procedure, the doctor can assess the state of each nerve, which originates from the brachial plexus. In addition, CT, MRI and ultrasound of the affected area are prescribed. These studies allow us to assess the degree of development of the pathological process. Differential diagnosis is carried out with the following diseases: polyneuritis, radiculitis neuritis, cervical radiculitis, arthritis of the shoulder joint.

Conservative treatment

At the initial stage of the development of the disease, therapy is carried out on an outpatient basis. The following medicines are used from medicines:

• Analgesic analgesics (to relieve unpleasant sensations).
• Anticholinesterase drugs (with weakness in muscles and paralysis). For example, "Proserin" or "Galantamine."
• Nootropic drugs and vitamin complexes (to improve metabolism in tissues).

Medicamental therapy is indicated in the acute course of the disease. Physiotherapy is recommended for patients with a diagnosis of chronic plexus brachial plexus. Treatment in this case involves the use of mud applications, massage procedures, UHF and electrophoresis.

Operative intervention

If the development of the disease is triggered by trauma or a tumor, the operation is indicated. During the intervention, the surgeon releases the nerve fibers clamped around the surrounding tissues. Post-traumatic plexopathy of the brachial plexus is well treatable if the patient has turned in time for help. After the operation, a long recovery period is required, which is not recommended to be neglected.

Preventive actions

Plexopathy of the brachial plexus after a course of therapy may occur again. To prevent the recurrence of the disease, prevention measures can not be neglected.

Doctors recommend swimming. Classes in the pool can support the body in a tone, prevent the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the joints. In addition, swimming has a beneficial effect on the emotional mood of a person.

It is also useful to engage in other sports. Adequate physical activity positively affects human health at any age. For example, simple exercises of exercise therapy can increase the mobility of joints, prevent their ossification. Therapeutic physical training strengthens the immune system, promotes an increase in the body's resistance to various infectious agents.