Authors:
Fitri Azizah Noor
and
Patricia Maria K
Affiliation:
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Keyword(s):
Brachial plexus injury, EMG biofeedback, rehabilitation, exercise, FFMT.
Abstract:
Brachial plexus injury (BPI) is an injury to the brachial plexus, the network of nerves that conducts signals from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand.Functioning free muscle transplantation (FFMT) is the transfer of a muscle using microvascular anastomoses for revascularization and subsequent microneural coaptation to the recipient motor nerve for reinnervation.EMG biofeedback is a method of retraining muscle by creating new feedback systems as a result of the conversion of myoelectrical signals in the muscle into visual and auditory signals. Case Presentation: A 23-year-old male presented with weakness in his left upper extremity for2 years after a traffic accident. He suffered aright humerus fracture, and underwent ORIF one month later. 1 year before he underwent FFMT surgery, and 6 months later had biofeedback EMG treatment once a month following home-based therapy.He still has difficulty moving his left upper extremity,has difficulty doing his daily activities,and feel
s tingling in his left upper extremity. He can do all his daily activities by himself with his right upper extremity.Discussion: The goal was maximizing the rest function ofthe left upper extremity. The rehabilitation programs included motoric and sensory reeducation, hand function exercise, ADL training, and EMG biofeedback. He also had home-based rehabilitation to stimulate and maximize the benefits of rehabilitation. These programs wereperformed for 6 months and now the patient can move his shoulder to the front and back.Conclusion: EMG biofeedback and a comprehensive rehabilitation program can improve and maintain functional ability of BPI after the FFMT procedure
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