why does my arm not straighten, what is the cause?

[JL2008]

I have left brachial plexus i dont know much about it but i know that i was injured at birth which caused it. i have good motor function of my arm but there are many things i can not do such as touch my face with my hand, make a muscle. i know this my sound like it isnt much but it has always bothered me. my left arm stays bent and my elbow sticks out, although my arms are the same size people still notice it. i sometimes forget until i see my reflection, then i realize that it is still there. there is pain though from the tight muscles, the elbow pooping, wrist popping and i have numbness in the top of my arm. my main issue is my arm stays bent how can i get it to straighten? any hope?

[Jake'smom]

My son is still young, but his arm doesn't straighten completely. It's only bent a tiny bit. It's called a contracture. The best I understand it happens when muscles that are not used start to shrink up. That makes it where you can't completely straighten the arm out b/c the muscles won't stretch that far. I think that most agree that the best thing to do is to try and avoid contractures throught physical therepy. Since yours is already contracted, I think there are some surgeries that can lengthen tendons and help with this. I'm not really sure, there are others on this board that would probably know more about it. Did you ever have physical therepy as a child?

[Mare]

Sounds like an elbow contracture.there are alot of ways they treat this Ot's treat it with thearpy,splints,serial casting. Orthopedic docs use botox or surgery results depend on how bad the injury is. Your best bet is to get an evaluation from an orthopedic doctor this way they can tell if there are any bone issues like dislocation this can happen from muscle imbalances over time but not always.Its best to be on the safe side before trying to splint or serial cast. Hope this Helps Mare