The Brachial Plexus Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado

About the Brachial Plexus Center

The Brachial Plexus Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado specializes in caring for patients with a brachial plexus injury, including newborns, children and young adults. A brachial plexus injury involves damage to the nerves that go from the spine to the shoulder and arm. This injury commonly occurs in newborns and is called brachial plexus birth palsy. Brachial plexus injuries can also occur later in a child’s life from a traumatic injury.

Our Brachial Plexus Center offers a multidisciplinary care approach, meaning a team of specialists work together to treat your child’s brachial plexus injury. Our services include:

• Advanced imaging (X-rays, CT scans, ultrasound and MRI)
• Electrodiagnostic testing
• Splinting and casting
• Botulinum toxin injections
• Surgical interventions:
• Microsurgical reconstruction
• Nerve grafts and transfers
• Tendon transfers
• Arthroscopic and open shoulder joint reduction
• Osteotomies
• Hand therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy

Who we treat at the Brachial Plexus Center

Treatment for brachial plexus injury begins as soon as your child is diagnosed, and care continues through childhood and into adulthood. We treat many conditions, including:

• Brachial plexus birth palsy or brachial plexus birth injury
• Erb’s palsy
• Traumatic injuries of the brachial plexus
• Acquired brachial plexus injuries
• Peripheral nerve injuries

Why choose us for brachial plexus injury treatment

We care for kids with brachial plexus injury at our hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Our state-of-the-art multidisciplinary clinic allows our experts from orthopedics, plastic surgery, therapies and more to come together within one space, so that your child can receive all their consultations and treatments in one place. Your child’s initial appointment should take about 30 minutes to an hour. During that time, several specialists will meet with your child and talk with you about your child’s personalized treatment plan. By the end of your appointment, you will receive a copy of your child’s treatment plan, and our staff will work with you to schedule future appointments.

We will keep an eye on your child’s changing needs throughout treatment, based on their age, growth and development. This means that we’ll continue to tailor the unique care and team members your child needs as their care evolves. In general, our brachial plexus care team includes:

• A pediatric orthopedic surgeon and plastic surgeon who specialize in the hand and upper extremities (wrist, forearm, elbow and shoulder)
• A pediatric plastic surgeon who specializes in hand and upper extremity (wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder) as well as nerve surgery
• A pediatric neurosurgeon who specializes in nerve surgery
• A pediatric rehabilitation physician who evaluates your child's development, functional abilities and muscle tone, and who works with the occupational therapist and surgeon to create a therapy and surgical plan that will preserve as much of your child’s arm function as possible
• An occupational therapist who specializes in brachial plexus injury rehabilitation and hand therapy
• A clinical social worker who provides access to support services

Contact the Brachial Plexus Center  

The Brachial Plexus Center is part of our Orthopedics Institute and works closely with the Department of Pediatric Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. For appointments at Anschutz Medical Campus, call 720-777-6610.

When planning for your clinic visit, we recommend bringing your child’s favorite motivator such as a toy, snack or bottle, which could be used as a coping mechanism. Also, please bring your insurance information, as well as previous medical records or imaging that was completed outside of our hospital.