Brachial neuritis causes severe shoulder pain due to inflammation of nerves that run from the neck and upper back through the shoulder. This pain is typically followed by numbness and weakness in the arm and/or shoulder for months or longer.
Symptoms
Symptoms of brachial neuritis include sudden, sharp, piercing, and unrelenting pain in the upper arm or shoulder. This pain may last a few hours, a few weeks, or longer. This pain feels worse with arm movement and typically is only felt on one side of the body.
After a few hours or days, the severe pain transitions to weakness, limpness, or paralysis in the muscles of the affected arm or shoulder.
Symptoms typically go away slowly over the course of a few months or a few years.
Recovery
Many people with brachial neuritis make a complete or near-complete recovery, but many patients continue to have weakness and/or altered sensation. In some cases, acute brachial neuritis will go away on its own over time.
Treatment typically includes pain medicines, corticosteroids, and physical therapy. Recovery can take 1 to 3 years.
Brachial neuritis typically only presents once, but the condition can recur.
Cause
Brachial neuritis may be caused by an immune or autoimmune response, a recent infection, a reaction to a surgical procedure or other stress to the body. Vaccination may also cause brachial neuritis.
Related disorder
SIRVA (shoulder injury related to vaccine administration). The main symptoms of SIRVA are persistent shoulder pain and a limited range of motion in individual who had no shoulder issues prior to vaccination.
Contact Us
If you have been diagnosed with brachial neuritis, contact our office for a free consultation with one of our experienced vaccine team members. You may be eligible for compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Learn more about brachial neuritis:
- Brachial neuritis description from Johns Hopkins
- Brachial neuritis description from the Cleveland Clinic
- Brachial neuritis description from Cedars Sinai