Pediatric Hand Care at Children's Hospital Colorado

The Brachial Plexus Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado specializes in caring for children with a brachial plexus injury, which involves damage to nerves that travel from the spine to the shoulder and arm. In addition to this injury, we treat infants with brachial plexus birth palsy and other types of brachial plexus conditions such as traumatic injuries that may occur later in a child’s life.

About the Brachial Plexus Center

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

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

Why choose us for brachial plexus injury care

Care for a brachial plexus injury takes place on Anschutz Medical Campus at our state-of-the-art multidisciplinary clinic, allowing your child to receive all their treatment in one place. Your child’s initial appointment takes approximately 30 minutes. During that time, several specialists will evaluate your child and talk with you about what your child’s individualized treatment plan might look like. 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 continually evaluate your child’s needs throughout treatment based on their stage of life, growth and development. This means that the specialists who work with your child may change throughout treatment. In general, our brachial plexus care team includes:

• A pediatric orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the hand and upper extremity (wrist, forearm, elbow and shoulder).
• 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 hand therapy.
• A clinical social worker who provides access to support services.

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 various conditions, including:

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

Contact the Brachial Plexus Center

The Brachial Plexus Center is part of our Orthopedics Institute.

For appointments at Anschutz Medical Campus, call 720-777-6600.