Brachial plexus injury treatment with tendon and muscle grafting

Patients who delay treatment after brachial plexus injury might require a tendon or muscle transplant. The operation involves transplanting a muscle along with its tendon, artery, vein, and nerve from a healthy body part to the affected limb. The typical indication for surgery is an injury with partial paralysis. Paralysis of the shoulder joint reduces the movement of the elbow and hand. To restore their functions, tendon or muscle transplantation is one of the rescue procedures. The donor is often the trapezius muscle (back of the neck and shoulders) or a long muscle on the thigh that helps bend the knee and turn the hip inward. Its removal does not affect the lower limbs' movements since other lower leg muscles perform the same functions. During the transplant, it restores the ability to bend the elbow and move the fingers, even months after the injury. In some cases, only the tendon is transferred from one body part to another. Since regeneration is slow, recovery takes some time, s patients can see the first results within a few months.