After a car accident caused a total brachial plexus injury, her right arm had almost no function before treatment. Using microsurgical techniques for nerve repair and reconstruction, at a follow-up review more than five months after surgery, shoulder raising, overhead lifting, grasping and other functions were flexible and free. Ms. Niu, in her fifties, said: "The recovery exceeded my expectations…"
Before treatment vs. ideal recovery
The sudden car accident not only plunged Ms. Niu into extreme fear, but the injuries to her body came one wave after another.
Ms. Niu said: "At first, it was a serious external injury. After emergency treatment, the wound gradually healed, but my injured right arm still had no function. At first, I thought it would recover as it healed, but after more than three months, the function got worse — it felt as if the arm was 'ruined.'
"I couldn't take care of myself in daily life; I could do nothing, and even eating was affected… I was especially distressed and anxious. I consulted many places about the cause, visited several hospitals in person, and learned about my condition: a total brachial plexus injury that needed timely surgical repair. I definitely wanted treatment — the hard part was deciding which hospital to go to…"
(Before treatment: her right arm had almost no function)
Ms. Niu's family said that among the hospitals they visited in person, they chose Renji for two reasons:
1. A friend's recommendation. While asking around about treatment, they happened to find a friend who had had a similar condition — with fewer and milder symptoms — and they saw the videos from before treatment and the state after recovery. This gave them much greater confidence in the hope of recovery.
2. It is the Henan Provincial Brachial Plexus Diagnosis and Treatment Center. This was the rational analysis: in Zhengzhou, a city full of top-tier (Grade III-A) famous hospitals, the one designated as the "Henan Provincial Brachial Plexus Diagnosis and Treatment Center" must surely have "rock-solid" techniques and strong capabilities. So they firmly decided on Renji.
When Ms. Niu came to Renji again, Dr. Zhang Songjian, Vice President and brachial plexus expert, received her. After consultation, physical examination, and relevant tests, he found that her right arm had essentially no shoulder-raising, elbow-bending, wrist-lifting, or grasping function. The diagnosis: total brachial plexus injury.
Director Zhang said:
"A car accident with impact to the arm is the most common cause of total brachial plexus injury. Ms. Niu's case was relatively complex and her symptoms quite severe. Beyond surgical repair, she also needed consistent, disciplined exercise to achieve better recovery."
Wearing a head-mounted surgical microscope, Director Zhang and his team used microsurgical techniques to release and repair the injured brachial plexus nerves. After surgery, targeted rehabilitation exercises were introduced promptly. During hospitalization, she learned the exercise methods; after returning home, she completed her daily exercise routine fully and with quality.
Ms. Niu said: "At the beginning, the exercises felt a bit uncomfortable, but I kept Director Zhang's words as my conviction and kept going. Gradually, my wrist could lift and my shoulder could rise a little… Once I saw initial results, my confidence grew even stronger. Look — see how flexible my arm is now."
In Director Zhang's consulting room, Ms. Niu talked while moving her right arm: raising the shoulder, lifting overhead, bending the elbow, lifting the wrist, and grasping with the hand — all performed flexibly. When both arms moved together, one couldn't tell which arm had once been the injured one.
(At the follow-up: her right arm moved freely — you couldn't tell which arm had been injured)
From almost no function at all to fully flexible movement — after hearing Ms. Niu and her family repeat "Thank you… thank you…," Director Zhang said: "The one who deserves the most thanks is Ms. Niu herself. Besides her highly disciplined exercise, she has set an example for other patients."
Afterward, Ms. Niu's inspiring story became a much-told tale in the Peripheral Nerve Department and a source of belief in recovery for many patients.
Ms. Li, whose symptoms were milder than Ms. Niu's, said after hearing the story: "I'm sure I'll recover even better. My confidence in recovery is much stronger now."
Aunt Zhang, who had just finished surgery and was preparing to leave the hospital, said: "I will definitely keep exercising and strive to achieve a recovery like hers. In three months or so, please (medical staff) come and check my results…" — and that "pledge" was fulfilled.
Then there was Uncle Lu, who had been consulting Director Zhang online, torn about which hospital to choose. After reading the story, he came straight to the hospital. It was only during the consultation in the clinic that Director Zhang learned the reason he came to be admitted: he had been inspired by someone else's story of recovery.
Director Zhang's words of comfort to patients:
"Good fortune is a matter of comparison. Compared with people in more serious condition, you are the lucky one. The worst situation is the one you're in now — it cannot get worse than this. Trust today's medical technology, find a good role model, and act by following that example — then you can achieve a better recovery."
One brachial plexus injury patient after another, through Director Zhang's treatment and their own disciplined exercise, has regained fully flexible arm function. We also hope that friends who are troubled by "brachial plexus injury" will take action, step out of their predicament, and come to try the Peripheral Nerve Department at Renji — so that, like Ms. Niu, you too can achieve an ideal recovery.
中文版
