What is it about?
Infants who are born with a brachial plexus birth injury are at risk for weakness in one arm, and are also at risk for developing tight shoulders that are hard to move. Medical professionals often recommend frequent daily stretching of the injured arm to decrease the risk of tightness developing. This article explores how often daily stretching needs to be performed to reduce the risk of developing a tight shoulder, and identifies factors that make it easier or harder for parents to adhere to daily stretching recommendations.
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Photo by Dragos Gontariu on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Our findings show that daily stretching should be started as soon as possible after birth in order to decrease the risk of developing a tight shoulder. We provide recommendations to make daily stretching easier for parents to do such as stretching during a daily routine such as when the infant is eating or during diaper changes.
Perspectives
Having worked with infants with brachial plexus birth injury for 15 years, I hope that the findings of this study will make a significant difference in improving the quality of life for these children and for their caregivers.
Jennifer Wingrat
Towson University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Frequency, facilitators, and barriers for range of motion to prevent shoulder contracture in brachial plexus birth injury: A pilot study, Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, June 2023, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/prm-220090.
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