Best Brachial Plexus Neurosurgeon in Guwahati

What is a Brachial Plexus Surgery?

Brachial Plexus Surgery is a procedure to fix nerves in the shoulder and arm that are damaged, often due to accidents or injuries. These nerves, called the brachial plexus, help you move and feel your shoulder, arm, and hand. When they are injured, it can cause weakness, numbness, or even make it hard to use the arm at all.

Doctors may perform surgery to repair or reconnect these nerves, depending on how bad the injury is. The sooner the surgery is done—usually within a few months after the injury—the better the chances of getting movement and feeling back. The main goal is to help the person use their arm again and improve their daily life.

Brachial Plexus Surgery Procedures

1. Nerve Grafting: If a nerve is damaged but still in place, surgeons take a healthy nerve from another part of the body (usually the leg) and use it to “bridge the gap” between the injured nerve ends. This helps the nerve grow back over time.

2. Nerve Transfer: When the original nerve is too damaged to repair, doctors take a working nerve from a nearby muscle (that isn’t essential) and connect it to the muscle that lost its nerve supply. This helps restore movement.

3. Muscle Transfer: If the muscles in the arm are no longer working due to long-term nerve damage, surgeons may move a healthy muscle (often from the leg or chest) to the arm and connect it to nearby nerves and blood vessels. This can restore some movement.

4. Nerve Decompression or Repair: In cases where the nerve is pinched or stretched but not torn, the surgeon may release the pressure or repair it directly with stitches.

Each surgery is chosen based on the type of injury and how much time has passed since it happened. The goal is always to help the patient regain as much arm and hand function as possible.