Klumpke paralysis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:

Klumpke’s paralysis or Klumpke’s palsy or Dejerine-Klumpke palsy is palsy of the brachial plexus.

A form of brachial plexus injury in which there is paralysis of the muscles of the forearm and hand due to a childbirth injury to the roots of eighth cervical C8 and first thoracic T1 nerves or the lower part of the brachial plexus, a network of spinal nerves that originates in the back of the neck, extends through the axilla (armpit), and gives rise to nerves to the upper limb.^[1][2]

The risk is greater when the mother is small or when the infant is of large weight.

• Traumatic Vaginal Delivery

• Motorcycle accidents involving spinal cord injury at the level C8-T1
• Injuries resulting in traction during arm abduction, e.g., catching onto a branch to break a fall from a tree

Klumpke Palsy is listed as a ‘rare disease’ by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Klumpke Palsy, or a subtype of Klumpke Palsy, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.

Symptoms include paralysis of intrinsic hand muscles, and ulnar nerve distribution numbness. Involvement of T1 may result in Horner’s syndrome. It can be contrasted to Erb-Duchenne’s palsy, which affects C5 and C6.

• Dystocia
• Erb’s Palsy

• Template:FPnotebook
• Template:GPnotebook
• Template:WhoNamedIt
• Template:NormanAnatomy
• Klumpke Palsy Overview at erbspalsy.net
• Diagram at pediatricneuro.com

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