When should I stop hoping for recovery without surgery?

[diargasm]

I know this is a silly question and you guys will try to make feel better. But, my accident happened on 9/6/03, and I haven't made much progress since. I've just become more efficient at what I could do. My shoulder is normal. I can move my fingers down, and move my wrist down. The last thing I got back was the ability to move my arm from the left to the right of a table. And that about a month and a half ago.

I just want to know how long does it normally take to get movements back. When does it usually stop making improvements?

I still have not had any nerve tests. And I am really scared about having surgery. My next visit to the BPI doctor is on Christmas Eve.

[John K]

Hi

Dont be Quick too give up this recovery takes time.....some of us more than others. You should look up Dave M he posts more on the tbpiuk board lately than he does here. He hasnt had any surgerys that i know of and he has had promising recovery. I on the other hand I had surgery and I have no results. So dont think by taking No action you are not actually doing something to help your recovery. I sometimes wonder if I had left well enough alone if I would have had better results. I know I wouldnt have as many scars. My pain level did decrease after surgery but that may have been a time thing as well. Just educate yourself. Read posts here and on the UK board Knowledge is you friend. Ultimately it is your decision all Drs can do is give you the facts you have to decide what action is right for you. I am satisfied with my decision I feel with what my circumstances were it was worth a shot.

[Sandi]

Hi,
FINALLY,someone is in the same situation im in.I was crushed at work Oct.25,2001.I was in pretty bad shape,nerve wise.Slowly I got some motion back with no surgery.The bad news is,I have no improvements this past year.I can raise my arm 55 degrees.Ive been in therapy since Jan,2002,which got me this far.I am being sent back to the Mayo clinic in Minn. Jan.27.I hope they can help me.Please email me so we can go into more detail. Good luck.lumberqueen316@aol.com

[admin]

did you have surgery 9 6 03 or was that your accident date either way your recovery sounds really quick even though it dosent seem that way to you never give up my accident was 8 6 02 surgery was 1 13 03 and mt shoulder is just starting to do something ive heard some people say that it can take up to 3 yrs and some people still make progress after that so hang in there

[Lorrie]

It does sound like you are doing well. Is there a reason you haven't had an emg yet? My injury was 1-27-03 and still don't have wrist or finger extension (lifting up) either but am hoping to get some back. They cleaned up some scar tissue in August on my radial nerve. After that I got return of tricep but it is still weak and strength is returning slowly. It was measureable on an emg much sooner than I could perceive use of it. Wrist extension is also radial nerve but the muscles are further down the arm. My dr told me it could be another 6 months before I get return to that area. I had my surgery when after 6 mths there was no sign of the muscles served by the radial, axillary or subscapular nerves regenerating. I may have been done earlier but that was how long it took me to get into a specialist. In my case each nerve had a different problem. Radial - scar tissue blocking the nerve pathway, axillary - severed & repaired with nerve graft, subscapular, torn out from the muscle (kind of a reverse avulsion)which couldn't be repaired. Some muscles came back quickly, those nerves (medial and ulnar) were just stretched - some more than others. My bicep wasn't working at all but came back fairly quickly - I'm up to 7 pounds on dumbell curls, started with no weight. My grip strength has also come back fairly quickly, still only a third of regular but building. I've been told that until 3 years have past I shouldn't assume "this is all there is". Having your therapist do quantifiable measurements I think helps because the progress can be so slow that it doesn't seem like there is any, but if you can measure you will be able to track progress.- just like in a fitness program, if someone can see that they are getting stronger or faster or lighter they are more likely to stick with the program. I would really recommend the emg because it is very motivational when the dr tells you a muscle is coming back and if it isn't showing any signs it can tell you its time to have exploratory surgery (unless you are opposed to surgery). Even if there are no avulsions there can be other things preventing return - I had 3 different things, I'm sure there could be more. That sounds discouraging but I think it is actually the opposite. My surgery really wasn't that big a deal and without it I wouldn't have progressed near as far. Good luck!

[dennisbk]

I would second the suggestion for an EMG. I was told that if there isn't any measurable recovery within 4 months of the injury, that surgery should be considered.

[diargasm]

I went back to the BPI clinic today, and all I got was bad news. There are no signs of improvement on my musculocutaneous nerve, axillary nerve, and my radial nerve. He suggessted that they might be avulsed. I'm taking an EMG on MLK's Birthday (Jan 19). I've been praying for a recovery by this Christmas, but I think that hope is pretty much diminished. In 12 days it'll be exactly 4 months since my injury. That was the cut off point for self recovery, so after the EMG I'm going to have exploratory surgery in February to see whats wrong.

He told me what kind of surgery they'd have to perform if they were avulsed. It sounded frightening because they might have to take nerves from my legs or my other arm to attach them. And I'm only 16. But what makes me more upset is if I will have to live with this for the rest of my life. I don't know what else to say, except that this has been the worst Christmas of my life.

[Lorrie]

I know it sounds bad right now but don't be too discouraged, for me surgery was the best thing. I've had great improvement since and hopefully there will be more. For me my problem nerves were radial, axillary and subscapular. Surgery has helped 2 of three. I also had the nerve graft/transplant on my axillary. They used the nerve from my leg. Other than immobilizing the shoulder for 2 weeks which was annoying the surgery wasn't a bad experience. I was home the next morning. The scars on my leg are fairly minor and most of the time I wouldn't know they took a nerve out of my leg - a numb spot on my foot but only notice it when touched. My accident was 11 months ago and it does suck BUT the alternative really sucks - not to have survived - I almost didn't. If I get down that's what I try to remind myself of. So keep your head up, hopefully things will get better, they have for me. Unfortunately time passes slowly and nerves heal even slower. At the very least you should develop patience:-)

Good luck and try to have a Merry Christmas.

Lorrie

[George]

So sorry this has been a bad Christmas for you. We have all been in your shoes, at one point or another. I was injured in 99' in late October, and I do remember that Christmas.......and how hard it was to not let my children notice that anything was wrong. For what it is worth, things will smooth out for you...with time.

I have had no surgeries. I have regained 75% use of my injured arm and shoulder.......from it being totally paralized initially, and staying that way for at least three months. I didn't have musculocutaneous return until around month 9 or 10 post injury. I wasn't able to lift my wrist (radial) until about month 18. Someone above mentioned patience ?? Yep......and lots of it !!

I think you are doing the appropriate thing in seeking an EMG. And yes.....I would want to know for sure if my nerves were still intact or not. And if that meant exploratory surgery, then so be it. At least you'll know where you stand, and where to go from there.

Wish you the best with your recovery. Hope they find out you just need a little more time for those nerves to wake up. And I hope you have a wonderful Christmas !!

George

[dennisbk]

I had the same surgery. It's not bad. They took a nerve out of my left leg and grafted it into my shoulder. I lost feeling in my heel and the side of my foot, but I don't consider that too much of a drawback to the surgery when I think about how much recovery my shoulder has gained as a result. It does take a lot of time and work to gain the full benefit of the surgery.
I also know about awful Christmas's. My accident happened on December 26, 2000 and put me in the hospital for 9 days.