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Related Experiment Videos

Upper trunk brachial plexopathy. The stinger syndrome

K L Markey1, M Di Benedetto, W W Curl

  • 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine
|September 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Football stingers, or brachial plexopathy, are often caused by shoulder pad compression on the brachial plexus at Erb's point, not neck traction. A protective orthosis significantly reduced injury occurrences in trials.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Upper trunk brachial plexopathy, commonly known as a "stinger" or "burner," is a frequent injury in contact sports.
  • The prevailing theory attributed stingers to cervical spine traction during lateral neck flexion.
  • Understanding the precise mechanism is crucial for effective injury prevention in athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the primary cause of upper trunk brachial plexopathy in American football players.
  • To challenge the traditional traction-based mechanism theory.
  • To develop and evaluate a protective intervention for stinger injuries.

Main Methods:

  • A 4-phase study involving 261 American football players (intramural and varsity).
  • Utilized electromyography and nerve root stimulation studies to identify the lesion.
  • Designed and trialed a novel orthosis to mitigate the identified injury mechanism.

Main Results:

  • Identified brachial plexus compression between the shoulder pad and scapula (at Erb's point) as a more common cause than traction.
  • Electromyography and nerve stimulation confirmed brachial plexus involvement in 32 players.
  • The developed orthosis demonstrated high effectiveness in reducing stinger injury incidence during preliminary trials.

Conclusions:

  • Brachial plexus compression by shoulder pads is a primary mechanism for stinger injuries in football.
  • The novel orthosis effectively protects the brachial plexus from this compressive force.
  • This finding necessitates a re-evaluation of protective strategies for stinger prevention in athletes.

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