Burner / Stinger Syndrome
Burner หรือ Stinger syndrome คือ transient upper extremity nerve injury จาก traction/compression
ของ upper trunk brachial plexus หรือ C5-C6
nerve roots พบมากใน contact sports โดยเฉพาะ football
และ rugby
อาการส่วนใหญ่มัก transient แต่ recurrent injury พบได้บ่อย และบางรายมี prolonged
weakness หรือ chronic symptoms ได้
Pathophysiology
Main lesion
ส่วนใหญ่เป็น:
- upper
trunk brachial plexopathy
หรือ - C5/C6
radiculopathy
Mechanisms of Injury
1. Traction injury (พบบ่อย)
เกิดเมื่อ:
- shoulder
depressed
- neck
bent away from affected side
→
brachial plexus stretch
2. Direct blow
กระแทก supraclavicular fossa โดยตรง
→
percussive injury to upper trunk
3. Compression injury
เกิดจาก:
- neck
hyperextension
- ipsilateral
lateral flexion/rotation
→
foraminal narrowing + root compression
มักสัมพันธ์กับ:
- chronic/recurrent
burners
- higher-level
athletes
Peripheral Nerve Injury Classification
Grade I — Neurapraxia
- demyelination
only
- axon
intact
- recovery
usually <3 weeks
- EMG
often normal
Grade II — Axonotmesis
- axonal
injury
- Wallerian
degeneration
- EMG
abnormal after 2-3 weeks
Grade III — Neurotmesis
- complete
transection
- rare
in sports
Burners ส่วนใหญ่เป็น Grade I-II
Epidemiology
พบบ่อยใน:
- American
football
- rugby
- wrestling
- hockey
- gymnastics
Recurrence สูงมาก
- recurrent
burners ~20-80%
ผู้เล่นหลายคนไม่รายงานอาการ
Clinical Features
Classic Presentation
หลัง collision/contact:
- sudden
burning pain
- radiates
down arm
- non-dermatomal
pattern
อาจมี:
- numbness
- paresthesia
- transient
weakness
ส่วนใหญ่หายภายใน:
- minutes
- occasionally
hours
Important Historical Clues
ถาม:
- exact
mechanism
- duration
- recurrence
- weakness
persistence
- bilateral
symptoms
- neck
pain
Recurrent burners
คิดถึง:
- cervical
stenosis
- chronic
compression
Physical Examination
Inspection
Acute phase:
- athlete
shaking arm
- arm
held against body
Atrophy
Chronic/recurrent cases:
- deltoid
atrophy
- supraspinatus
atrophy
- shoulder
depression
Red Flags on Exam
NOT typical for simple burner
- focal
cervical tenderness
- bilateral
symptoms
- lower
extremity symptoms
- altered
mental status
- persistent
neurologic deficit
→
evaluate cervical spine/spinal cord urgently
Spurling Test
positive →
supports cervical root compression
Important point
high specificity but low sensitivity
Negative test does NOT exclude radiculopathy
Weakness Pattern
ส่วนใหญ่ involve C5-C6 muscles
Common muscles to test
|
Muscle |
Nerve |
Root |
|
Deltoid |
Axillary |
C5-6 |
|
Supraspinatus |
Suprascapular |
C5-6 |
|
Infraspinatus |
Suprascapular |
C5-6 |
|
Biceps |
Musculocutaneous |
C5-6 |
|
Pronator teres |
Median |
C6-7 |
|
Triceps |
Radial |
C7-8 |
|
ADM |
Ulnar |
C8-T1 |
ADM: abductor digiti minimi
Important Clinical Pearls
- weakness
อาจ delayed several hours-days
- subtle
weakness อาจ missed ใน strong
athletes
- compare
both sides carefully
Diagnosis
Usually clinical diagnosis
Most cases:
- no
imaging needed
- no
EMG needed
หาก symptoms transient และ
rapidly improving
Indications for Further Workup
Imaging indicated if:
- severe
neck pain
- focal
cervical tenderness
- limited
ROM
- persistent
weakness
- recurrence
- bilateral
symptoms
- slow
recovery
Imaging
Plain cervical radiographs
รวม:
- AP
- lateral
- oblique
- flexion/extension
views
MRI cervical spine
best for:
- disc
- nerve
root
- spinal
cord
CT
better for:
- spinal
stenosis
- bony
injury
Electrodiagnostic Studies
EMG/NCS useful for:
- localization
- severity
- prognosis
Findings:
- fibrillation
potentials
- prolonged
latency
- conduction
delay
Timing
ควรทำเมื่อ symptoms >3 weeks
เพราะ early EMG อาจ normal
Differential Diagnosis
Serious causes to exclude
- cervical
fracture
- cervical
dislocation
- spinal
cord injury
- shoulder
dislocation
- clavicle
fracture
- cervical
radiculopathy
Management
Main principles
- symptom
resolution
- prevent
recurrence
- correct
risk factors
Rehabilitation
Goals
1.
restore pain-free ROM
2.
strengthen neck/shoulder
3.
improve posture
4.
correct sports technique
Important posture
“Chest-out posture”
ช่วย:
- open
foramina
- reduce
root compression
- reduce
scalene pressure
Protective Equipment
May help reduce recurrence:
- neck
roll
- Cowboy
collar
- Kerr
collar
- custom
orthosis
- high-riding
shoulder pads
Avoid
helmet-to-shoulder tether straps (unsafe)
No Role For
- nerve
block
- steroid
injection
Return-to-Play Criteria
ต้องมีทั้งหมด:
- complete
symptom resolution
- full
painless ROM
- full
strength
- normal
function
Do NOT return if:
- persistent
neurologic deficit
- recurrent
symptoms during practice
Important EMG Pearl
EMG abnormalities อาจอยู่ได้นานหลัง symptoms
หาย
ดังนั้น:
- ไม่ใช้ EMG normalization เป็น criteria
for return-to-play
Prognosis
Usually good
ส่วนใหญ่ recover completely
But recurrence common
- recurrence
สูงมาก
- chronic
symptoms possible
Persistent symptoms →
avoid contact sports
Prevention
Key strategies
- improve
neck flexibility
- strengthen
shoulder/neck
- optimize
tackling technique
- posture
correction
- protective
equipment
Screening cervical radiographs:
- NOT
routine
Key Pearls สำหรับแพทย์
- Burner
= transient upper trunk brachial plexopathy/C5-6 injury
- Burning
pain radiating down one arm after contact sport
- Most
recover within minutes-hours
- Persistent
weakness → evaluate
carefully
- Bilateral
symptoms or cervical tenderness = spinal cord injury until proven
otherwise
- Recurrent
burners → consider
cervical stenosis
- EMG
useful only after ~3 weeks
- Return
to play only after full neurologic recovery
- Recurrent
injury common
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