This protocol addresses Burner's syndrome in patients whose injury involves neurotmesis of the brachial plexus or cervical nerve roots — a complete, irreversible disruption of neural continuity that the body cannot repair on its own.
Management centres on timely surgical reconstruction of the disrupted nerve. A form of nerve repair is the mainstay of treatment; whether an additional technique is also employed depends on intraoperative findings. Non-operative measures accompany the surgical pathway — the complete sequence and decision algorithm are in the full protocol.
The primary functional targets of treatment are recovery of shoulder abduction and elbow flexion — the two crucial functions that guide the surgical repair strategy in this injury pattern.
This grade can be further categorized into Grade IIIA, or neurotmesis, where complete, irreversible neural damage occurs.
Grade III stingers are irrecoverable through the body's innate healing process and require surgical intervention to facilitate functional recovery.
For athletes who sustain Grade III injury with nerve root avulsion or neurotmesis, the mainstay of treatment is timely surgical reconstruction of the severed nerve with the addition of non-operative treatment protocols.
Surgical repair options include direct anastomosis, interposition grafting, and nerve transfer with an associated partial or complete sacrifice of a less-needed healthy nerve.
Shoulder abduction and elbow flexion are the two crucial functions that are the focus of surgical repair.
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