My son has radial nerve palsy & can not extend his wrist. The emergency room gave him a basic wrist splint & shoulder sling. One person told him to wear both all the time & the other said to wear brace only. What is best for him? He starts occupational therapy In 3 days & has had this condition for 5 days with no improvement. Now has some clawing deformity & 4th & 5th digits crossing over. We do daily passive ROM & gentle massage to upper extremity.
If your son has a new radial nerve palsy without a preceding trauma or a bone fracture, you should see a neurologist today. A neurologist can precisely locate where the nerve is damaged by clinical examination and nerve conduction studies. Then an MRI of the presumed location should be done to see what is going on with the nerve and whether surgery is warranted. If you wait too long, the condition might be irreversible.