Tia
I just checked back and you are obpi... so your exercise program will be a bit different... as with all obpi our arms are not matured and therefore we have many different needs and compensations.
You must be careful how you use your unaffected arm as it is already overused due to the fact that you have been compensating for 33 years.
Most likely due to poor medical intervention you were not taught proper OT and like the rest of us you were allowed to improperly use your neck back and shoulder muscles to compensate... I think many medical professionals did not and do not realize the extent of this birth injury and how it effects the total body of an infant and small child resulting in more damage from a lifetime of compensation.
Do you have much atrophy on the bpi side?
Have you had an evaluation by any doctor who is familiar with OBPI ?... they are hard to find...
One of the reasons OBPI injure themselves is because we seem to lack body boundary... bumping my elbow into door knobs... it the best...LOL...
As a result of being injured at birth you may forget you have an arm... the brain somehow seems to ignore your arm and you will find you forget to use it...
One of the worst things I did was to lift weights to strengthen my arms and muscles... I was not aware of how this injury had caused the wasting and atrophy of my muscles. Not one doctor, in my entire life ever even talked about the Erb's Palsy except to comment on how well I hid it and how well I did with it. What I did not know was that they never had another patient with OBPI. I also did not know the mechanics of compensation until I found this web site and began to read more and more on this injury.
So keep asking questions and reading all the material on the birth injury at awareness... It will help clear up some questions... also reading about the children and how they react to certain things will help with information... So many of the children's complaints to parents are a part of other obpi's childhood...
Last year I met 2 other obpi for the first time and also many of the children and I was amazed at how they all seemed to compensate and move like I do...
I would also suggest if you are not under the care of a neurologist or PT/OT for care that you look into some PT/OT because it may help prevent injuries in the future that are secondary to Erb's (OBPI).
Do you know the extent of your injury? It is important for OBPI to have proper evaluation before undertaking exercise program... And a pt/ot is the best one for this... program ...
Kath
Tia questions?
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Re: Tia questions?
Kathleen,
Thank you for your response. I last went to an orthopedic doctor in 1984. He took xrays and said there was nothing he could do. I recently went to my OB-GYN doctor for my annual physical and she had questioned my arm appearing stiff. I told her I had Erb's palsy. She went on to tell me a lot of it still goes on today. She said doctors sometime will break the shoulder to make the delivery, but she said when she has a mother in difficult labor, she will break the collarbone because they will heal. Damaging the shoulder will not. I wish our doctors would have done this years ago. I do forget sometime that my arm is not there and overuse the right arm. But I am definitely going to get in the exercises more. Thanks for your help.
Thank you for your response. I last went to an orthopedic doctor in 1984. He took xrays and said there was nothing he could do. I recently went to my OB-GYN doctor for my annual physical and she had questioned my arm appearing stiff. I told her I had Erb's palsy. She went on to tell me a lot of it still goes on today. She said doctors sometime will break the shoulder to make the delivery, but she said when she has a mother in difficult labor, she will break the collarbone because they will heal. Damaging the shoulder will not. I wish our doctors would have done this years ago. I do forget sometime that my arm is not there and overuse the right arm. But I am definitely going to get in the exercises more. Thanks for your help.
Re: Tia questions?
Tia
They don't break the shoulder... the pull and tug and tear the brachial plexus... doctors should know the proceedure to get large babies out...
When I found this site I was amazed that there were so many like me OBPI... and we share so many of the same injuries...
As far as nothing that can be done... I was told that in 1972... many doctors do not understand OBPI... and they have never treated anyone else with it.
I now ask how many others they have treated with obpi... and the answer is always none!!... so I make sure that I investigate and know what I need before anyone treats me...
You are young and there are some things that can be done... Ask Nancy Birk... she is obpi and in her forties... (sorry Nancy lol) She could not turn her palm up or extend her bpi arm and now she can she had surgery last year...
Tbpi ( trauma injured) is different then obpi... Some tbpi may recover with surgery... so will never...
some choose not to have surgery...
Obpi for the most part are not candidates for surgery unless they may gain something... The children injured have many surgeries and it looks like many gain so much from it...
I never had surgery.
Welcome to the board and ask questions... it is good for everyone we all learn from each other.
Kath
They don't break the shoulder... the pull and tug and tear the brachial plexus... doctors should know the proceedure to get large babies out...
When I found this site I was amazed that there were so many like me OBPI... and we share so many of the same injuries...
As far as nothing that can be done... I was told that in 1972... many doctors do not understand OBPI... and they have never treated anyone else with it.
I now ask how many others they have treated with obpi... and the answer is always none!!... so I make sure that I investigate and know what I need before anyone treats me...
You are young and there are some things that can be done... Ask Nancy Birk... she is obpi and in her forties... (sorry Nancy lol) She could not turn her palm up or extend her bpi arm and now she can she had surgery last year...
Tbpi ( trauma injured) is different then obpi... Some tbpi may recover with surgery... so will never...
some choose not to have surgery...
Obpi for the most part are not candidates for surgery unless they may gain something... The children injured have many surgeries and it looks like many gain so much from it...
I never had surgery.
Welcome to the board and ask questions... it is good for everyone we all learn from each other.
Kath