During the nearly two decades Lomas Brown Jr. was an offensive tackle in the National Football League, he used his 6’4” frame to protect quarterbacks from getting sacked and to create a path for running backs by knocking down defenders.

After Brown and his wife Wendy had four daughters, the former Detroit Lion was thrilled at the prospect of having a son who may someday follow in his footsteps. But when son Lomas Brown III, also named Trey, was born, the Browns instantly spotted something wrong.

“The first thing we noticed when he came out was that his arm was limp,” Brown recalls. “Especially being an ex-athlete, you start thinking about some of the things that you know he may not be able to do that you were able to do.”

Physicians told the Browns that Trey had damage to his brachial plexus due to a difficult delivery caused by the baby’s broad shoulders. The brachial plexus – a highway of nerves that goes from the spinal cord in the neck down to the arm – controls movement and sensation in the shoulder, arm, wrist, hand and fingers.

Physicians at the University of Michigan (U-M) Health System said Trey had brachial plexus palsy, also known as Erb's palsy, which affects the nerves passing from the neck to the arm. Symptoms can include loss of feeling, loss of muscle control and limited or no range of motion. Pediatric brachial plexus palsy occurs in one to two out of every 1,000 births, says Lynda Jun-San Yang, MD, PhD, director of the Pediatric Brachial Plexus Program and assistant professor of neurosurgery at the U-M Health System.

Seventy to 90 percent of patients with brachial plexus palsy will improve on their own, Yang says. “There are a number of physical and occupational therapies that are effective, ranging from muscle strengthening to range-of-motion therapies,” she notes. However, the remaining 10 to 30 percent can regain function from nerve or reconstructive surgery, or both,

At the U-M Health System, patients are seen by a unique team that includes experts from a variety of fields, including neurosurgery, physical medicine, rehabilitation, occupational therapy and reconstructive surgery.

“It’s really exciting for us to watch our interventions help a child regain the function in the arm, and to be just a kid again,” Yang says. “It is our hope that through our unique approach, we are able to make a difference both here and around the country for patients who have brachial plexus palsy.”

For the Brown family, seven years have passed since Trey was born. In that time, he has gone through extensive therapy and has progressed well.

“He’s doing a lot of different exercises, and he’s met a lot of goals,” Wendy Brown says. “Every time we take him in to the doctor, they always say that he’s met his goal and that they’re pleased with what has been happening with his arm.”

Brown’s goal for his son doesn’t necessarily include athletic domination; he just wants him to live a good life and do the things he wants to do.

“What I hope is that he can just use his arm normally. Forget sports, football, all that,” he says. “I just want him to be able to use it normally. That’s a simple goal, and that’s the goal that I want him to achieve.”

Indeed, Trey is able to use his arm for everyday activities, including an activity that his parents thought unlikely when he was born: throwing a football in the yard with his dad. He is now able to do that with relative ease, and his parents think he will continue to tackle any other obstacles he encounters.

“I think he can do whatever he sets his mind to,” Wendy Brown says. “He is very much like his dad; he’s very strong, and he will definitely figure a way to do whatever he wants.

Information about brachial plexus palsy

• The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerves extending from the neck into each arm. This nerve network controls movement and sensation in the shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, and fingers.
• Brachial plexus palsy, also known as Erb's palsy, affects the nerves passing from the neck to the arm. These are the nerves that trigger movement from the shoulder down to the fingers.
• Depending on the type of brachial plexus palsy, symptoms appear in the shoulder, elbow, and/or hand and fingers. These symptoms include loss of feeling, loss of muscle control, and limited or no range of motion.
• It often occurs in newborns as the result of a difficult delivery.
• Although some brachial plexus palsies heal on their own, others may result in a lifelong disability if not treated promptly.

Source: University of Michigan Health System