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CHAPTER 33
FIG. 223. (a) Patient at 16.2.1949. (b) Patient at 18.10.1951. (c) Patient at 16.2.1949.
(d) Patient at 18.10.1951.
injuries below C6. The unrestrained action of the biceps, as a result of the lower motor
neuron paralysis of its antagonists, the triceps, is particularly dangerous, as it leads to
most incapacitating contractures of the elbows and thus greatly increases the tetraplegic's
disability. This contracture, which is still accepted by some members of the medical
profession as an inevitable anomaly of the upper limbs in mid-cervical lesions, can easily
be avoided if, from the beginning, care is taken that the patient lies with his forearms
extended, and is not allowed to lie with the arms across his chest. See Fig. 6, also showing
the great improvement after intensive daily passive stretching and placing the forearm
