United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Andre,
I am two and a half years post accident and still wera a sling! I hate the thing and have been talking to my doctor about not wearing it. He told me really to do what I feel most comfortable doing. I have goos hand function, so for me to wear the sling, I can make use of my hand (verses it just hanging there). But I am in the process of getting rid of it for the most part. I used to wear a wrist brace as well but like you I felt confined wearing it and that went in the trash a whioe ago. I just got a supination brace and I have notice very minimal pain in the arm now without the sling, I Was very promated. The neutral postion puts less strain on the arm in general, though some people really dont like the thing. Personal preference really. Just a thought! But hwatever you do, consult with your doctor and do what you feel most comfortable with! Good luck!
Courtney

Kath, have you recovered? I wanted to speak to someone that has recovered...

Diargasm,
Recover? Completely? No. A BPI is a never ending thing in life. I ran from it for 7 yrs and now I'm back looking for help, with pain. I'm done with gaining more movement and was actually told this week from PT in Chicago that the my movement and strength with type of injury is off the charts, maybe she told me that to make me feel good but I'm actaully impressed with myself. I've handled this injury pretty well, well.....she told me too well so I guess thats not such a good thing. I've been this way for 15 yrs now. 17 when it happeded and I'm now 34, married 9 ys and I have three children. I've got a good life, take the pain away and life will be "prefect".
You? What happened? Do you need help? Maybe I can help?
Kath

Kath, what type of injury did you have?

Susana~
Avulsions of C5,6 and 7. You? I had a muscle transfer so I can bend my arm @ the elbow to reach my mouth. Nerve transfer did not work. I am also doing experimental surgeries @ Mayo for plastic surgery. My shoulder needs to be fused but I'm waiting on that. No drugs here but I'm starting PT 12-1.
Tell me about you.........
Kath

So if I don't wear a sling, it wont make my injury worse? Life is a lot easier without a splint and sling.

it would probably be worth checking with your doctor as every case is different but I stopped wearing a sling fairly soon as I felt it made me look like a cripple. Some people have persistent dislocations/subluxations in the affected shoulder and they wear slings to help shoulder stability. I found that I was able to swing my arm and upper body much more naturally as I walked and that the contracture (or bend) in my elbow that started happening really quickly when I wore the sling gradually got better without it, I have a very straight arm now.

The same thing for me. My shoulder is the only part of my arm that functions normally, and it makes my arm somewhat useful when I could swing it. When I wore my sling the first few weeks, my arm became stiff in the sling position. But now I don't wear it around the house and it has become straight.

I used to wear a sling quite a lot, because I found that the pain from subluxion was sometimes worse than the nerve pain. A basic sling puts a lot of strain on your neck, and that can only be bad for you. I started wearing the Wilmer Orthosis, and that was much, much better. Unfortunately, wearing a sling of any sort restricts the passive physiotherapy that you can do on your arm, and the Wilmer resticted the work I could do on my fingers. Reading posts now, I wish I had fought through the sublux pain, and learned to cope with my arm swinging free (like Jenny did), but in any case, for me its all in the past.
I often tried to jam my BPI hand into my trouser pocket, so that when I walked, or stood, it looked more natural, but I found that doing that would actually create more pain. Don't know why, but it did.

I'd like to ask a question. I get pain on the right side of my neck, where the bpi is. Its not a harsh pain, but I try avoiding it. Does that mean anything about being streched or avulsed?