THE TREATMENT OF RESIDUAL PARALYSIS AFTER BRACHIAL PLEXUS INJURIES

¹ The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Shrcpshire; The Royal Cripples Hospital, Birmingham; and the Peripheral Nerve Injuries Unit, Barnsley Hall, Bromsgrove, Birmingham, England

After brachial plexus injuries, and other forms of paralysis of the upper limb, even when residual paralysis is very grave indeed, and even when the limb is almost flail—a forearm which can project forwards by the construction of a bone-block behind the elbow, with arthrodesis of the shoulder when necessary; a hand with fingers in the form of a claw and a thumb which opposes them; and a wrist which may perhaps be arthrodesed, but which still better can flex or extend when the forearm is pronated or supinated; together with the wise use of such muscles as are likely to gain function; may enable a patient to do very much more than he can with an artificial limb.