Rehabilitation of Neglected Radial Nerve Injury following Humeral Shaft Fracture - A Case Study in Manual Therapy and Care therapy® Technology

Introduction Humeral shaft fractures have been estimated to account for 1% to 3% of all fractures. They are usually caused by simple falls, motor vehicle crashes, and sports injuries. (1) Fractures of the humerus are often complicated by radial nerve palsy. The overall incidence of radial nerve injury after humeral shaft fractures is 11.8% representing the most common peripheral nerve injury associated with long bone fractures. This is attributable to the relatively fixed position of the radial nerve and the direct contact with the periosteum of the humerus as it turns in the spiral groove and passes through the lateral intramuscular septum of the arm. At this level the bone ends can easily entrap, contuse, or even lacerate the radial nerve. As such, radial nerve injury varies from Neurapraxia to complete Neurotmesis.