A brachial plexus injury is damage to the bundle of nerves that travel from the neck into the arm. These nerves control shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand movement, so even a mild stretch can cause noticeable problems. Symptoms depend on where and how badly the nerves are pulled, torn, or compressed.

The most common first sign is sudden weakness or a “dead” feeling in the arm right after an accident—like a car crash, football tackle, or hard fall. The arm may hang limp at the side, and lifting the shoulder or bending the elbow feels impossible. Sharp burning pain often shoots from the neck down into the hand, followed by numbness or pins-and-needles in the fingers. If only the upper nerves are stretched, the arm stays straight and the wrist flops down (called Erb’s palsy); if the lower nerves are hurt, the hand and fingers curl inward and the shoulder still works (called Klumpke’s palsy). Complete injuries leave the entire arm floppy, pale, and cold because blood vessel signals are also interrupted.

Over time, muscles shrink, the shoulder blade sticks out, and joints become stiff. Some people regain strength within weeks; others need surgery and months of therapy. Any lingering weakness, loss of feeling, or change in hand color after a neck or shoulder injury should be checked quickly—the sooner treatment starts, the better the recovery.

Symptom	What You May Notice
Sudden arm weakness	Arm hangs limp, can’t lift shoulder or bend elbow
Burning pain	Sharp ache from neck into hand
Numbness/tingling	Pins-and-needles or no feeling in fingers
Partial patterns	Upper nerve injury—straight arm, floppy wrist; lower nerve injury—curled hand, working shoulder
Complete injury	Whole arm limp, pale, cold; no movement
Long-term changes	Muscle wasting, winging shoulder blade, stiff joints