Aspectos e intervenções fisioterapêuticas na paralisia braquial obstétrica: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

Obstetric Brachial Palsy (OBP) is defined as a flaccid, partial or total paralysis that affects the newborn's upper limb due to brachial plexus injury during labor maneuvers. It can occur in normal delivery – and, more rarely, in cesarean section, often associated with shoulder dystocia (DO). PBO results from injury (distension or rupture) to the C5- C8 cervical roots and T1 thoracic root in less than 1% of births. The present study identified the main aspects and therapeutic methods used to treat childhood PBO and analyze the importance of early treatment for better neuropsychomotor development. This was a literature review of the general aspects of PBO and the most used conservative therapeutic resources. Fifteen articles extracted from PubMed, Lilacs, SciELO and PEDro databases were used. Inclusion criteria were: articles with the proposed topic that were related to physical therapy treatment, written in Portuguese, English or Spanish and the period of publication between the years 2006 to 2021. After the eligibility criteria, 15 articles remained. As exclusion criteria, the following were considered: articles older than the established period, articles that addressed medical/surgical treatment, articles that were not available in full, and duplicates. Knowledge of PBO and its characteristics are of paramount importance for proper diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Physiotherapeutic treatment proved to be extremely important for the prevention of structural and physical aggravations. In addition to this, other proposals were also found, such as the virtual reality treatment, which was also useful as a complementary treatment to the physical therapy treatment. Therefore, the literature survey carried out emphasizes that it is necessary to start the treatment of PBO whenever detected, as it will contribute to a better quality of life for this population, such as the prevention of physical deformities and functional use of the affected upper limb.