Early Conservative Physical Therapy Management of Babies With Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury to Facilitate Spontaneous Recovery

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of early immobilization and proper handling techniques in infants with Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury (OBPI) in the first 2 weeks of life. Method: Six 1-day-old infants (2 males and 4 females) with OBPI were included. The assessments were done at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up, which involved a physical exam, Narakas classification, Active Movement Scale, and gross and fine motor skills evaluation. Result: All infants had upper Erb’s palsy. They had statistically significant improvement in the Active Movement Scale scores post-intervention with a large effect size. These improvements were maintained at follow-up. All infants achieved age-appropriate gross and fine motor skills with the affected upper limb at 3 months of age. Conclusion: Early conservative physical therapy management had a statistically significant effect on enhancing spontaneous recovery and preventing further nerve injury in OBPI infants.