“Right brachial plexus birth from injury ”
I played football all throughout high school and worked out and my left arm is bigger than my right, due to the fact that I have poor range of potion. I have no right deltoid, I have a scar where it would be. Can I develop muscle there? Or am I going to look freakish my entire life? I also can not extend my elbow all the way or turn my wrist, I can’t curl, power clean, or even use dumbbells properly due to the injury. I want to know if there are any workouts I can do.
Male | 18 years old
5 Answers
PhysicalTherapistRightBrachialPlexusInjury
The deltoid is the biggest muscle of the shoulder and is what is easily seen by everyone. You can work to develop the smaller stability muscles, but it will likely never get as big as the other arm. You mentioned a scar, so either they removed it or the nerve injury is preventing proper growth of the deltoid. If you're that concerned about your appearance, I suggest not bulking up on the left.
This is an extremely difficult question to answer without being able to exam you. It sounds like you have nerve injury from birth, and these nerves control the muscles that currently don't work well. You may be able to improve the strength somewhat in these muscles by lifting weights, but they will never be equal to your normal side. Sorry. Hope it helps!
Congrats on not giving up. Always strive for better. Unfortunately as it appears to be a congenital issue you may always have issues out of that right shoulder. Yes you can strengthen the areas around the deltoids but ultimately those muscles are not as efficient in certain movements as the deltoid. Best of luck.
Nabil A Ebraheim
Orthopedist
You should see a physician who specializes in brachial plexus injuries to be properly assessed.
If the nerves are broken, there is no training you can do at this state.
